All About Women - November 2008

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NOVEMBER 2008

Thanks for Giving Featuring:

•Veterans’ Day Tributes: Local Women Who Serve

•From the Runway To The Airway - She’s Still The Queen •Homeless No More

•Linda Killian,

Savvy Decorator With A Giving Heart Pg. 34

Michael Mayhew, DDS, MS, MS Board Certified, American Board of Orthodontics Board Certified, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry

Nicole Scheffler, DDS, MS

Board Certified, American Board of Orthodontics

Stacy A. Conn, DMD

Board Certified, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry

Martha Hardaway, DMD, MS Board Certified, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry

G N I V I G R O F S K N A H T

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teer, and n lu o v , k r o t, w . who suppor rs of our community e s o h t k n ha be f want to t dations to help mem f a t s d n a s n r atients for p f o y il m The docto cal programs and fou a rf YOU to ou h lo it K w N e A t H a T n o l d SMILES. cia r e u p o s y a e d c n n e a like to ext s to protect and enh We would trusting u

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Specialists in Pediatric Dentistry & Adult and Child Orthodontics (828) 264-0110 www.opsmiles.com (800) 478-6058 373 Boone Heights Drive, Boone, NC 28607 2 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

Photo by Mark Mitchell

Attorney Jeffrey J. Walker of Walker & DiVenere is All About Women

Walker & DiVenere AT T O R N E Y S

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IN BOONE

828.295.8485

132 Park Avenue Blowing Rock, NC 28605

www.BlowingRockRealEstateNC.com

The Simplicity of Mountain Living and Memories to Last a Lifetime

Residential

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Land

· Commercial

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Investment

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Development aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 3

for

Thanks Giving NOVEMBER 2008 PUBLISHER Nancy Morrison nancy.morrison@averyjournal.com 828-733-2448 editor Sherrie Norris sherrie@aawmag.com 828-264-3612 SALES/MARKETING MANAGER Sara Sellers Golini 828-264-3612 sales@aawmag.com Graphic ArtistS Dan Johnston graphics@aawmag.com

Contents: PROFILES / FEATURES 5 An Era Ends for Sue Counts 8 New Opportunity School for Women 12 No Longer Homeless 18 Flying High For Veterans 19 Helping Heroes 20 LEAD: The Way for Young Women 22 Crossroads Healing Center 24 A Full Circle 28 Honoring Caregivers 40 Christmas in the Mountains 41 Norma Hash: Making Reading Easy 43 Appalachian Women’s Fund 44 All About Fitness: Westglow 45 National Hospice Month 48 From Runway to Airway: She’s Still the Queen 56 Pat Beaver: One Eye on the Past 57 Because Others Give 61 Gaining a Peace of Mind 4 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

In every issue 11 Soundings 14 Food & Entertainment 16 It’s a Woman’s Job 26 Minding Her Own Business 29 Parenting Page 30 Heartfelt 32 High Country Courtesy 34

46 50 52 54 58 59 60 62 63 64

Cover Feature: Linda Killan You Go Girl!

Pet Page Cent$ & Sensibility Mom’s World Your Home Creating with Stephanie Entertainment Suggestions Young at Heart Dr. Mann Healthy Lady

65 November Calendar

Marianne Koch

Contributing writers Tiffany Allison Genevieve Austin Sharon Carlton Bonnie Church Yozette “Yogi” Collins Melanie Davis Chelsea Franklin Rebekah Graham Rebecca Gummere Heather W. Jordan Cara Kelly Stephanie DeJoseph Lee Corrinne Loucks Scott Nicholson Molly Petrey Vicki Randolph Teri Wiggans Heather Young PHOTOGRAPHER Mark Mitchell Cover photo by Mark Mitchell Contents page photo by Sara Golini Cosmos Field in Ashe County Any reproduction of news articles, photographs, or advertising artwork is strictly prohibited without permission from management. ©Copyright 2008 A Mountain Times Publication

An Era Ends As Retirement Begins For State/Community Leader, Sue Counts

By Chelsea Franklin

With the announcement earlier this year that Sue Counts would be retiring from her role as NC Cooperative Extension Director for Watauga County, the big question was, “Who could ever take her place?” The concern was not just for the official capacity in which she served, but also for the void her absence would create within the community as a whole.

Sue Counts is an Appalachian woman who, through a lifetime of service to others, has put her heritage and heart to work to help her community.

She has never been a stranger to “digging in” to get a job done - whatever the task.

As a child, she worked on her family farm.

She was involved from an early age and has continued to be involved through adulthood with 4-H. She learned many skills about healthy living from her rich Virginia mountain heritage and life experience, which eventually led to her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech in home economics and foods and nutrition.

With countless workshops, trainings, conferences and leadership institutes under her belt, Sue eventually became a dynamic, innovative community leader with expertise in various fields.

When she moved to Boone in 1981, she shared her knowledge with students at Appalachian State University as a foods/nutrition/ holistic health professor. She became fully involved in the area and got on board with projects to better the community.

On the day after her 50th birthday, Sue was named project coordinator for the Southern Appalachian Leadership Initiative on Cancer Project and, from there, she never slowed down.

In 1998, after over 27 years of experience in the areas of public health, nutrition education and consulting, Sue finally got the job she considered tailor-made, both personally and professionally.

She was named director of Watauga County Cooperative Extension and has since raised the bar for that position. She initiated such programs as those dealing with sustainable energy, Hispanic outreach, Women in Agriculture in Watauga County, Mountain Keepers and more.

In cooperation with several departments of North Carolina universities and colleges, including ASU, North Carolina State University and Caldwell Community College, Sue has worked to bring about quality educational programming.

She serves on numerous boards and will be installed as the president of the NC Family and

Consumer Science Foundation Board of Directors in 2009. In addition, she served as the Boone area Chamber of Commerce chairwoman of the Board of Directors in 2007-2008. She was also elected to represent the Western District County Extension directors and all county directors on the Extension Administrative Council. Sue has attended most of the state and district National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences meetings. She has been district officer of the North Carolina Extension every year since 1995. Her commitment to Extension education is seen on every level including international, domestic, state, regional and county. She has traveled extensively to present programs at international meetings with the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education.

On the local level, Sue has helped bring at least a half million dollars to Watauga County since she became extension director.

The many awards she has received – including those from NC Cooperative Extension, Epsilon Sigma Phi, NC Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Boone Chamber of Commerce - are proof that Counts can take pride in work well done.

“My greatest success is to have Watauga County Cooperative Extension viewed as a leader in sustainable development. We are on the forefront of what NC Extension is trying to accomplish. What most are now working to achieve in sustainable development, we have been doing for eight to ten years,” Counts said.

With Counts’ November 1st retirement comes the genuine assurance that she has impacted her community as well as the world.

Retirement is not the end of Sue’s mission to encourage positive and intentional living. She now intends to be a life coach for the Total Success Institute.

“Life coaching is really taking a look at the whole person and providing balance in five areas including: physical, financial, career, family and social. I think I will be able to provide really creative ways to bring balance to people’s lives,” she states, and applies this principle to her own life. “One way I’ve been able obtain personal balance is through a group of women that I meet with to share goals in those five areas,” she says.

Sue believes that “in sharing,” a community is created with each member reminded and supported by each other to achieve personal goals.

Photo by Mark Mitchell

“You set your own goals, but you have a community that helps to keep you accountable to those goals,” she says. “Each member of the group is free to grow and change goals at any time with the acceptance and encouragement of the community.”

This is just one of many creative ways that she believes life coaching can accomplish its mission to bring balance. It is clear that Sue Counts is right for this mission as an innovative and motivated individual. Her heart is fully in every action she takes and her hands are digging deep to plant seeds of positive change.

Sue Counts was honored at a “Green Retirement Celebration” on Sunday, Oct. 12 at the Blair Farm in Boone. The event featured local foods, mountain music, solar-generated electricity, educational exhibits and all biodegradable utensils. Any leftover food was composted on the farm. Hundreds attended the event and guests asked, in lieu of gifts, to make a donation to the recently established Sue Counts Endowment for Family and Community Development Programs in Watauga County.When this fund is fully endowed at $15,000, the interest will return to Watauga County to be used for educational programs in family and community development.

Sue, we wish you well and offer a sincere “Thank You” for your valuable contributions to life in the High Country.

Send questions/comments for Chelsea to: comments@aawmag.com. aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 5

Nancy’s note...

November is all about Thanksgiving.

T

Sherrie’s note...

Thanks for Giving

A

he days are short, the air is brisk -- even cold some days – and we s we turn the calendar page to welcome November, we’re also have a little spare time to stop and count our blessings before we noticing that the warm, lengthy days of Autumn are giving way rush into the busiest holiday season of the year in December. to those cooler, shorter days that each year indicate another Thanksgiving is a time to think about others and to seek ways to changing season is upon us. make a difference in the lives of people not as fortunate as most of us

We see it everywhere – store shelves filling not only with shades are. I think there is no gift as great as the one you get yourself when of gold and green, but red and green and every festive, glittering color you have given much needed help to another. in between – reminding us that we have only a short footbridge Except for the promise of the coming winter weather, I love this connecting the two major holidays of year’s end. time of year and especially the spirit of giving that fills each of us during

Thoughts of Thanksgiving evoke feelings of comfort and nostalgia the holidays. I’ve often thought what for many. Visions of Granny’s turkey a wonderful world it would be if we and dressing, sweet potatoes and could hang on to those unselfish pumpkin pies fill our minds until feelings the rest of the year. the day they actually fill the banquet The holidays are magical, packed table. Around this time of year, with fellowship and good food. most people seem more focused And speaking of food, I’m in a bit on family and things that really of a quandary this year. Around matter – like giving of time, talents Thanksgiving last year, I became a and resources - to make life better vegetarian. for others.With this in mind,Thanks Most of you probably don’t for Giving seemed an appropriate think that is a big deal, but it could theme for this month’s magazine. be for all my meat-loving cousins

No other place does it better who always come to my house for than right here in the High Country, Thanksgiving! Last year, I still had a where hundreds of families and turkey in the freezer and, under the agencies draw from one of the principle of “it’s already dead—don’t deepest wells of “givers” found waste it,” I cooked it for my relatives anywhere. And, in case you’re and our dogs and cats (which, by the wondering, we know firsthand that way, definitely aren’t vegetarian!). those on the receiving end are very Photo & Illustration by Mark Mitchell and Dan Johnston I don’t think the relatives even thankful that someone is taking the noticed that there were no other time to give. meat dishes because I went overboard on wonderful vegetable and fruit

It is no coincidence, I believe, that November is National dishes.

Caregiver’s Month, Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, Hospice Month, etc.

My vegetarian lifestyle resulted from my reading about animal cruelty This area is blessed with those who care for loved ones and others in the meat industry. Being a lover of most varieties of animals, I was suffering with physical, as well as mental, emotional and terminal sickened by the things I read and soon decided to do what I could to illnesses. Where would we be without those selfless individuals who help by not eating meat. But hey, veggies are great! There are about a give all they have to give? Within the pages of this issue, you will meet million vegetarian cookbooks on the market. (I keep suggesting to Sherrie some of those people and read about successful results of giving that she needs to write one!) efforts.

My daughter, Danica, occasionally writes articles about the benefits

If you haven’t had the opportunity to give, or have not taken the of a vegetarian diet—yes, the whole family took the plunge—and she time to thank someone else for giving, I challenge you to do so during includes some of her great recipes. Perhaps I can persuade her to do an the coming month. When we take our eyes off ourselves, suddenly article for an upcoming issue of All About Women of the High Country. we see things more clearly. Let’s be a thankful community and give But back to my problem—what’s Thanksgiving dinner without a what we can to make the difference. turkey? Can I fake it? I did see a recipe for “tofurky.” Apparently, you

I wish for each of you a holiday to remember, surrounded by mold tofu in a big bowl to resemble a turkey breast. Well, I’m good at those who make your world complete. pottery and such and I certainly could mold a turkey. But taste? I already

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to be a part of your feel sorry for my poor cousins. lives and please don’t forget to thank our advertisers for believing in I think I’ll put more emphasis on giving and being thankful and less us and giving us a chance to produce an amazing magazine – It’s all on food this year and maybe nobody will notice! about you – and that’s what makes it so special.

A special thank you to all of you readers who made our first two With a thankful heart – issues of All About Women of the High Country fly off the shelves and to Sherrie Norris, Editor you advertisers who believe in our magazine’s ability to help you grow your business.

A very Happy Thanksgiving to all, Nancy Morrison, Publisher

WELCOME 6 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

AAW staff members: (left to right seated, front row and standing, back row) Sara Golini, Marianne Koch, Dan Johnston, Sherrie Norris, Nancy Morrison,

We want to hear from you. Email us at comments@AAWmag.com

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Young Women Thankful for School of Opportunity “There are so many!”

by Rebekah Graham This is the response from both the founder, Jane Stephenson, and the director, Lori Sliwa, of the New Opportunity School For Women when asked, “What victories, big and small, have you seen in these women?”

Since 2005, 41 students have completed the New Opportunity School for Women (NOSW) program at Lees-McRae College. Two of the graduates share their stories:

Mary’s Story

Mary Absher is a 2005 graduate from Wise, VA. She returns every year as a “house sister” to help other women through their transformation into the program. When asked how she first heard of the program, she said, “I knew about the program in Berea; my daughter, Angel, told me about it and had urged me to go. I always had an excuse as to why I couldn’t go. I learned more about the Lees-McRae location from the community bulletin board on WCYB-TV 5 at 4:00 a.m. one morning when I had insomnia.”

How did NOSW help Mary claim her victory? “I can put myself first. I don’t have to do everything for everyone else all the time.” Mary says her greatest victory was “to be more accepting of others and not be judgmental.” Her victory continues each year. As a house sister, she has gained diplomacy skills and tact to help her learn “not say the first thing that pops into my mind.”

She added, “My experience was a very trying and difficult time, but I am grateful and changed for having attended NOSW. I want to be able to help make a difference in the lives of my sisters. I feel so privileged to a part of their lives.”

Rose’s Story

Rose is a 2007 graduate from Newland. She is now a full-time student at Lees-McRae College. She first learned about the program from a poster card at the local social service office. “I called Lori about the program as soon as I got home.”

How did NOSW help Rose claim her victory? “I gained confidence in me. I am now a student at Lees-McRae College, and I received a 3.6 GPA my first semester back in college after ten plus years.”

Rose is still working on her greatest victory.“My greatest victory will be when I receive my undergraduate and masters degrees in psychology, and I can counsel others and help them to believe in themselves as well.

“At the beginning of the program, I was scared to death. I was not sure I could leave my family. I was not sure I was worthy to go. At the end of the program, I felt good about myself. I realized that although taking care of our loved ones is important, I am also important.”

About New Opportunity School for Women

The mission of the New Opportunity School for Women is “to improve the educational, financial, and personal circumstances of lowincome women – usually between the ages of 30 and 55 – who live in or hail from the Southern Appalachian region.” (www.nosw.lmc.edu).

During the three-week residency on the campus of Lees-McRae College, the women take classes, participate in workshops, and attend cultural events in the area.

“[It’s] almost like being in a cocoon in that the women are sheltered from the demands and stressors of their everyday lives,” said director Lori Sliwa. “By living on campus for the entire time, they are able to focus entirely on themselves and what they want to change or improve, and they find great comfort and support from each other.”

How does NOSW help women claim their victories?

“A unique aspect of our program is that we teach our participants to help themselves while they are here, and equip them with the tools and 8 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

Summer 2008 participant Susan Dunn getting ready to release a baby screech owl with help from Heather who works at the Wildlife Rehab Center. This picture really captures the sense of how the women let go of the things/circumstances that have impeded their ability to grow, and how they learn to soar with newfound strength and direction.

Photo submitted by Lori Sliwa.

resources they need to be successful when they return home,” answered Sliwa.

Founder Jane Stephenson expanded a bit on this answer. “We help women focus on the long term; we’re not trying to find short-term fixes.”

Sometimes these victories, like Rose’s, can take four or five years to fully come to fruition.

A theme both Stephenson and Sliwa talked about was not placing a measurement on the victories. “The victories I would talk about aren’t the ones you can measure: changes in outlook, confidence, being told they are worthy and smart,” said Stephenson.

Sliwa added, “While all victories are different, and we do not place a ‘measurement’ on them, some of the victories include entering college, graduating from college, making the Dean’s List, obtaining a job with benefits, finding permanent housing, no longer needing public assistance, serving on community boards, regaining emotional and physical health, and children and grandchildren who see the value of staying in school.”

History of NOSW at Lees-McRae College

In 1987, Lees-McRae alumna Jane Stephenson founded the New Opportunity School for Women at Berea College. Stephenson said from an early age, she knew women in rural areas didn’t always have opportunities other women might have. “I knew these women were bright and energetic, and I wanted to bring the opportunity to these Appalachian women,” said Stephenson.

After her appearance on Oprah in 2003, she realized the school needed to expand. “Many people from all over asked either if they could attend or start a school themselves,” Stephenson said.

She asked herself,“How I can reach more women?” Because women didn’t want to venture too far from home, friend Frank Taylor suggested that Lees-McRae would be perfect to reach the women in North Carolina.

Lees-McRae College submitted a proposal to the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the same success began here in the High Country that began at Berea 20 years ago.

Stephenson said, “We are hoping to expand once more with a third site in Georgia.” This will give a new group of women a chance to learn, Stephenson reiterated, “how to have pride and respect for their own abilities.”

Send questions/comments for Rebekah to: comments@aawmag.com.

aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 9

All About Crafts| BY NANCY MORRISON

Dress UP Your Glassware for

Thanksgiving

Decorative painting on glasses or stemware is fun, easy, inexpensive, and can create keepsakes to use for years to come.

You will need: 1. Set of goblets or glasses (real glass, not plastic)

2. Pebeo Vitrea 160 (paint for glass available at craft stores) in yellow, orange, green and brown 3. Pebeo Vitrea 160 marker (paint for glass) in black 4. Small artist’s brushes

dry between coats. When all paint is dry, outline each section of the design with the black paint marker. If you make a mistake, a cotton swab dipped in a tiny amount of rubbing alcohol will remove the unwanted paint.Then paint the base and the stem (if using stemware) orange. The stem and base on our pictured goblet have one coat as we liked the shaded look, but two coats will give a more uniform look. Your painted goblet or glass should dry for at least 24 hours before finishing.

Start with clean, dry glasses. If you want to use our pattern, cut it out leaving about 1/8 inch border around the design.Your own design or any small clipart design also can be used. Slip the pattern inside the glass, position it as desired, press it flatly against the glass and tape in place.

The paint needs heat to make it permanent, so baking in your kitchen oven at 325 degrees for 40 minutes will keep the design intact during normal usage. Some glass painters carefully wash their glassware in the top rack of their dishwasher. Of course, it’s always safest to hand wash.

Paint the design on the outside of the glass, one section at a time. We recommend starting with the yellow sun, next the brown cornstalk, then the orange pumpkins, and lastly, the green grass. Lay the glass on its side to paint and use light coats as the paint tends to run. Some colors will need a second coat to look great. Let paint

Send questions/comments for Nancy to: comments@aawmag.com.

10 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

SOUNDINGS|

By REBECCA GUMMERE

Clipart.com image

Thanks for Giving

This is an open letter to a number of people to whom I wish to say,“Thanks for Giving.” The list is by no means exhaustive, it’s simply all I can fit into a 1,000-word format. If I were to list all those to whom I owe thanks, the sound of my fingers on the keyboard would echo on long past the Last Day. But here is my modest try at a beginning.

To my parents, thanks for giving up in the middle of that snowstorm in 1952 and stopping for the night at Plymale’s Motel in Dayton, Ohio. Nine months later, as I gazed up at you from my cotton flannel swaddling, you wondered what had come over you that night, snuggled in your cocoon of a room with the wind howling outside and an eight- and ten-year old waiting back home. Whatever it was…thanks for giving in.

To those who nearly a century ago so generously gave of their tithes and offerings in building and supporting Baptist Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, where I was born, thanks. You shared a vision for serving and caring, providing medical care as part of what is necessary in a community that seeks to be compassionate, and your mission continues as thousands walk through your door each year, seeking medical support and treatment.

To the author Ray Bradbury, for all the years you poured out your heart and imagination on paper, thanks for giving your whole self to the craft of writing and stirring that hunger in me and others. (I understand why Stephen Spielberg calls you his “Papa.”) Thanks for being a voice I recognized and for letting me know I wasn’t all alone in my sea of questions about what it means to be human and what it is to be alive. And thanks for writing back when I felt moved to tell you all you had meant to a lonely thirteen-year old.

To my great-grandmother, Nellie Blanche Jeffries, an elegant Southern lady, card-carrying member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, thanks for giving me my first Bible. Its fraying leather and whisper-thin pages remind me I was loved by a Higher Love long before I knew of it. In the front, you inscribed my name, “To Rebekah,” using the old Biblical spelling, and I can still detect the hint of your sweet floral-fruit perfume when I take it out of my dresser drawer.

To my grandmother Stanley, thanks for giving me a model of faithfulness to which to aspire. You quietly loved others without flaunting your faith, letting it seep into your relationships on a deeper, more lasting level. You gave everyone you met the benefit of the doubt and treated all with dignity and respect, and everyone who knew you, loved and admired you.

To Mrs. Masters, my sixth-grade teacher, thanks for giving me homework

and then such gentle correction. You helped instill in me the love of learning and provided the safety to do so. In your class, as I sat next to Scott Apger who distracted me by having arm muscles long before any of the other boys did, you still held my attention as you unfolded the wonders of the natural world, dreamed with us about faraway places, directed us in the art of language and encouraged us to write, write, write. And thanks for giving me that hug at the end of the school year when I cried as we said goodbye.

To my youth pastor at the Methodist church in Ontario, Ohio, thanks for giving a darn about how kids learn about sex and for talking with us straight-up. The husband and wife speakers you brought in framed the discussion in a way that was positive and healthy, engendering as little redfaced embarrassment as is possible with a room full of sixties-era fifteenyear olds who are hearing about such matters from grown-ups.

To my children, thanks for giving me so much joy. During a recent cleaning spree I came across some of your artwork and other creations from your elementary school days and was delighted all over again at your imagination and humor.While I miss the excitement of peering out through your wondering eyes and seeing the amazing world you see, I also treasure beyond words the delight of knowing you as remarkable young adults.

Thanks, too, for giving your trust and friendship, even though, like every parent laboring under the mantle of imperfection, I haven’t always earned it. And thanks for giving me credit for being your mom, even when you disagreed with my decisions.

To my local mortgage company, thanks for literally giving me credit, so I could live in my lovely little house and listen to the owls at night, hear the deer snorting in the woods behind my backyard, the morning mist swirling.

Thanks for educating me and giving me support as we worked through the financing process and for giving me the confidence to be a homeowner.

To all those researchers who so tirelessly give their time, energy, and heart to defeating breast cancer, thanks. As a member of a family where my grandmother, mother, and both sisters have already done battle with the disease, I’m grateful for those expending their efforts so my nieces and daughter and beloved friends and millions of other women won’t have to live in the ragged shadow of breast cancer.

Ditto for cancer research in general. Actually, make that “medical research in general.”

Thank you to friends and other loved ones who give me lots of room to be myself, with all my quirks and halting progress in the art and work of being a human. Thanks for giving your love and support during tough times, and thanks for letting me give that back to you when things have been rocky in your world. If it weren’t for the lifeline we share, it would be a lonely journey indeed.

And thanks for giving me this opportunity to see just how blessed my life has been and is, and for the reminder that every second of every hour of every day, those blessings have come to me through other people.

In other words, we are all in this together. In the past months of neartoxic political rancor and profound economic angst, it has been easy to forget that we really are all in this together, and that we truly need each other, in large ways as well as small. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude helps put things back into perspective. By saying “thanks for giving,” perhaps we are reminded that none of us gets where we are without the help and support of others. In other words, there is no such thing as a self-made person - unicorns are more commonplace.

The word “generous” is on the same tree as the word “generative,” both from the Latin “gener” -- having to do with birth. Generosity of spirit is, in large part, what keeps the wheel of life going for us humans. Whether we are giving or receiving the gifts of precious time, saved-up money, treasured belongings, sharing food or breaking bread together, offering caring support, quiet compassion, the pearl of forgiveness, silent prayers, or sweat and muscle, without the willingness to see our own humanity reflected in the faces of others, we are all certainly bound for extinction.

So here’s my invitation – find a quiet spot and go make your own list.

Think of all that has been given to you, poured into your life, and then I defy you to stand up and not feel surrounded by something very like Light.

And then…pass it on.

Send questions or comments for Rebecca to comments@aawmag.com. aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 11

Thanks To Hospitality House,

Linda “Lefty” Childress

No Longer Homeless Article and photos by Cara Kelly

W

hen you find something in life that is truly special, it is often hard to leave.

For many people in the High Country, this is certainly true about a special place that’s in the business of helping people.

The Hospitality House, a non-profit agency that has made an unforgettable place in the hearts and minds of community members, has a way of resonating in the lives of those who have utilized its services. Most who have ever needed it say the Hospitality House gives so much to its clients that they feel it is a saving grace; one they could never fully leave behind.

That is the case with two female “staples” of the Hospitality House, Irene Fletcher and Linda “Lefty” Childress, both former residents and success stories.

Irene’s Story – “They Gave Me Hope” Irene’s story is similar to that of countless others who find themselves without a roof over their heads.After traveling to Boone from Florida with a few friends, Irene woke up alone in a motel room, with no way home and nowhere to turn.

“I wound up being stranded at a local motel here.They told me about the Hospitality House and I was able to get in because they had a bed available,” she said.

In addition to giving her a place to sleep, the Hospitality House helped Irene find temporary work and finally a permanent job in retail.

The staff of the Hospitality House also assisted her in preparing for interviews and working a professional job, largely with appropriate clothing.

“I went to Ram’s Rack and the Hunger Coalition for the professional closet, but because of my size, clothes just weren’t going to work with me,” Irene says, referring to her exceptionally tall and thin frame. “I came in and talked to Lynne Mason and they gave me $50 to buy professional-looking clothes until I got a paycheck.”

Irene was hired and has since moved up in the company to assistant manager. She now is living on her own, yet she cannot stay away altogether from her former, although temporary, residence.

12 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

“Sometimes I will come up and say ‘Hi’ to the staff, to let them know I’m still around and not gone. I feel like I built a rapport with the staff and I like to make sure everyone is still doing ok.”

Although the agency provides the necessities of life, including food and shelter, Irene claims the most beneficial aspect of the Hospitality House is the mental support she received.

“They gave me hope, when I felt like I was alone in the world.

I didn’t know anyone when I came to Boone, didn’t know where to turn. Their counseling, just knowing you have a place to go, a safe haven if you will, to talk to someone, and that they care is the best part. Since I came to Boone, the Hospitality House has been that rock if I need something.”

Lefty: Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way

Linda “Lefty” Childress agrees that “the best part” of life at the Hospitality House is the emotional support.

After living with an abusive, alcoholic father, Lefty was seemingly lost after high school graduation, not planning to attend college, like some of her friends were, and unsure of what she wanted to do in life. She began drinking heavily after school and was finally cast out of her mother’s home. After four years of “going from friend to friend, sleeping in cars and drinking day and night,” Lefty made her way to the Hospitality House.

She plunged headfirst into custodial jobs, until confidant Lynne Mason realized Lefty was not dealing with underlying problems.

“Lynne Mason made me slow down from my jobs because she told me I was escaping,” Lefty said. “And I was.”

At that point, Lefty started taking classes and attending counseling sessions at New River Behavioral Healthcare. After five years, she is still participating in counseling sessions and is living on her own, crediting the Hospitality House as the sole reason for her current, healthy lifestyle.

“I’d like to be a welcome wagon,” Lefty said. And, that is exactly what she has done.

At the Hospitality House’s recent fundraising luncheon in August, Lefty swallowed her fear and delivered a powerful speech in

front of nearly 400 guests.

Starting her presentation with a clever fumble, Lefty opened by saying “My name is nervous and I am very Lefty.”

Her anxiety soon passed. Lefty was able to share her experiences with the Hospitality House that put her on the road to success and encouraged those in attendance to give what they could to the newly established capital campaign to help build a new Hospitality House.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” she told her audience. “I would like to take this time to share my experience with the Hospitality House. Lynne Mason threw me a lifeline, and I managed to hold on to it. Hospitality House gave me food, clothes, shelter plus a place to heal. I stayed there in desperate need, because someone saw potential in me where I saw none. I carried a burden, but in time it began to ease.

“I went from the Hospitality House to transition at The Sleeping Place and on to Rock Haven. Now I’m on my own.

“What I’m trying to say is that the Hospitality House saved my life. In the five years that I’ve spent in the Hospitality House program, I have grown and learned what responsibility is. If you knew me, you would now see a completely different person. I am proud of myself and now I have a life.

“I am very, very grateful for the Hospitality House and especially Lynne Mason, who believed in me. I just want people to know that the Hospitality House is necessary for the homeless. The Hospitality House saves lives.

“I want to thank Lynne from the bottom of my heart; she never once gave up on me and her support is overwhelming in a good way.

“Hospitality House is always in need of funds in order to continue saving lives. The Hospitality House saved mine. I hope this will show the homeless that there is hope and help at the Hospitality House.

“Thank you again, Lynne, you’ve been my rock. I’m leaving the nest now so I’m going to spread my wings and soar into freedom, now that my past is just the past. Thanks to all who have supported me and cared about me.

“Being homeless is no picnic. I had to work hard on myself to get where I am today. I am a survivor. Bless you all.”

As Lefty descended from the stage, the applause was deafening and she received a standing ovation.

“I was just on cloud nine,” Lefty said. “The speech has made me feel great. People were saying I knocked their socks off.”

That brave act of courage has inspired Lefty, who one day hopes to overcome her fear of public speaking and become a spokesperson for the Hospitality House.

Her story and sentiments of gratitude, subsequently, are best told in her own words – words that were not easy for her to share – but words, she hopes – that will make a difference for someone else along the way.

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Food & Entertainment| ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY SHERRIE NORRIS

Celebrating at Stony Fork

“Don’t be afraid to try anything and invite close friends and family over who will laugh with you if it flops.”

Billie Rogers gave this good advice, while she waited for guests to arrive at her Stony Fork home for a pre-Thanksgiving feast.

“You’ve heard of Christmas in July,” her Aunt Hilda said. “We’re having Thanksgiving in September!”

Aunt Hilda had brought her pumpkin cake. Aunt Lois, a former test cook for Farm Journal, brought a pickled relish tray accompanied by her late husband’s specialty - sweet and sour peppers – now considered part of Uncle Max’s legacy. Other family members prepared their signature dishes – creamed corn, mashed potatoes and country style green beans. Billie’s husband Charles, the grill master and pastry chef, turned out some mighty tasty smoked turkey, leg of lamb, and lip-smacking pies that drew rave reviews.The hostess provided such delicacies as roasted root vegetables, pumpkin soup and more.

Everything came together well, the main kitchen a hustle-bustle of activity as everyone fulfilled assigned tasks. Last minute warm-ups were handled in the lower level kitchen, where Billie and Charles do their canning. The fruits of their labors rested on the pantry shelves - jars of jam – raspberry and peach to name a few – vegetables of all descriptions.

Special events in the Rogers’ household seem to come easy and often, and anyone lucky enough to be on the guest list never declines the offer and digs in to help upon arrival.

Billie creates the menus and Charles tweaks them “to a doable fashion.” They both have a knack for garnishing and have created quite a few conversation pieces. At a family rehearsal dinner, a “bridal party” was fashioned from vegetables to decorate the table. The preacher, made from an eggplant, was holding a Bible made of purple bell pepper. The bride and groom were made from leeks with lots

14 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

of roots for hair. “They were adorable and photographed almost as much as the real bride and groom!”

A party for the homebuilders’ association featured a “building materials” table. Step stools elevated the food, PVC pipes held dips, paint lids became trays and the laborers were fashioned from leeks and vegetables.A friend’s bicycle - themed party utilized a bicycle tire on a stand, the tabletop decorated with water bottles, energy bars, and a “leeky” bicyclist riding a bell pepper bike. There is no end to the duo’s creativity.

At every party, they try out at least one new recipe. “One day, we’re going to regret that!” Billie chuckles.

Whether it’s their large annual Christmas party featuring a lavish buffet on the first Saturday of December with relatives coming “up the mountain” for the perfect Christmas tree, the more intimate and formal Norman Rockwell Christmas dinner served on fine china and crystal for only a chosen few, or their New Year’s Day luncheon featuring traditional fare (often with a twist--black-eyed pea cakes and soup), the word is out.They know how to entertain! And always, their decorative themes suit the occasion.

The New Year’s celebration is one of Billie’s favorites “because we sit in the kitchen and tell stories.” She admits to having learned “invaluable life lessons” from the older generation, blessed by their presence and wisdom. “Folklore indicates that whatever you do on the first day of the year is what you will be doing the rest of the year.

Take my advice. Spend it with your favorite people.”

Billie’s favorite party ever was for Charles’ great uncle William and his siblings, following William’s cancer diagnosis with a fourmonth life expectancy. To lighten the dismal news, the couple invited William, his siblings who were “all in their 70’s and 80’s,” along with their children and families, three of whom were asked to chauffeur.

Only afterward did Billie learn that it was the first time in 40 years they had all sat at the same table for a meal. It was a day no one will easily forget. Dozens of pictures were taken, many of them now hanging in the hallway of the Rogers home.

Billie says,“My favorite aunt, Lois, once told us that we do country cooking the best of all, so don’t forget that when you’re trying to impress people.”

Anyone can make a good leg of lamb using a recipe, Billie states, “but to make a mouth-watering meatloaf will make you stand out.

And fresh vegetables are always a ‘go-to.’ Few people like anything better than a good homegrown tomato. I try to make one or two fancy items, but stay with simple good cooking for the rest of the meal.”

Color on the plate is important, Billie adds,“If it’s pretty, it’s going to taste better. Give them color and give them balance in the meal.

One meat, two or three vegetables, good bread, dessert and you’re done.”

Billie implores others, “Don’t feel like you have to do everything yourself. I’m not a baker - I burn the rolls every time. I purchase really good rolls and put someone else in charge of heating them. It’s a simple task that makes the guests feel necessary. And take them up on the offer to help. It’s a bonding time between friends and makes everyone’s day easier in the end. Do what you do well; delegate the rest.”

Originally from Harnett County, Billie grew up on a farm in the “flatlands.” Her mother was an excellent cook. “We mainly had country cookin’, and lots of it that lasted all day! We had lots of beans and my favorite – homemade biscuits with fatback, fried potatoes, and a slice of tomato. I still miss those.” If Billie’s mother were in the kitchen, Billie had to be in the kitchen. “Not that I hated it, but just didn’t realize the gift at the time.”

Billie funded her college education at NC State by waiting tables – the better her service, the better her tips. She spent time in the kitchens, observing the chefs “and seeing more exotic produce than I

ever knew existed.” Some of the recipes and techniques were simple and she claimed them for her own, loving, especially, the garnishes and presentations. “You can make a simple Tuesday night dinner into an affair with a little garnish. As long as the meal is good, not necessarily great, people will talk about it for days if it looks gorgeous.”

She met Charles while working at the NC State Faculty Club; he was also a waiter. They dated nine years before marriage and have just celebrated their 16th anniversary on Halloween.“When planning the wedding, Charles requested either April Fool’s Day or Halloween.

With no guarantee he’d show up on April Fool’s, Halloween it was!”

A “normal” wedding and cake cutting in the afternoon was followed by a costume party reception that evening. “We came as Ralph and Alice Cramden, ‘The Honeymooners.’ For the rehearsal dinner, we invited all the out-of-town guests to a meal and then asked them to carve a double-sided pumpkin for the party’s centerpieces. It was fabulous! We had more competition and participation than I ever imagined possible! We gave prizes for the best.”

Billie was 27 and Charles 29 at the time of their wedding. Billie says, “We wanted to do the wedding ourselves and were too old to ask for help from our parents.We chose the meals, friends and family cooked and served. It’s still one of the most memorable weddings in the family.”

A few words, painted by Billie’s hand on her kitchen wall sum it up well: “Some people call it fat. In my kitchen, it’s credibility.”

Send questions/comments for this article to: comments@aawmag. com.

Billie’s Favorite Pumpkin Soup

1 small onion 1 med. potato 2 Tbs. butter 1 Tbs. minced garlic 5 cups chicken stock – divided 4 cups peeled, chopped pumpkin 1 cup heavy cream 1 tsp. ground nutmeg ½ tsp. mace

Chop onion, peel and dice potato. In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add onion, potato and garlic. Sauté over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add 4 cups chicken stock and pumpkin. Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes or until pumpkin is tender. Remove pan from heat and cool 10 minutes.

Puree pumpkin mixture in blender or food processor in batches. Return soup to pot. On medium heat, pour in remaining 1 cup chicken stock, heavy cream, nutmeg and mace. Simmer, stirring 5-10 minutes more until blended and smooth. Can garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds. * Add salt and coarse black pepper to taste. aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 15

It’s A Woman’s Job| By SHERRIE NORRIS

Fighting The Battles

On The Field and Off

F

PHOTOS BY ROB MOORE

or nearly three decades, Ashe County native, Betty Ellis, has proudly served her country through the NC National Guard.

Utilizing her business administration degree and years of continuous training, Betty divides her time between the 1451st Transportation Unit in Boone and her 72-acre farm in Lansing, the latter of which proving to be her refuge, despite the hard work it requires.

Even before basic training in 1982, Betty began fighting more than her share of battles. She moved up the ranks with courage, determination, a tough exterior and a sense of humor to lighten the load. Decorated with numerous awards, the most important, she states, are worn in her heart, not on her sleeve.

The 11th of 13 children, Betty was challenged by her family to reach higher. “We were always taught by our mother - it was a law - to love and help each other.

My family has inspired and encouraged me to work for something bigger than myself,” she says.

Having met and married a man who challenged her even more, was an added blessing. “We had little, materially, but our goals and dreams were the same.

Rick Ellis supported me from day one as we built our life together and raised our son Steven.”

For almost 21 years of marriage Betty “had it all,” including a promising career, which was misunderstood by some, but with a loving husband by her side who supported her until his death two years ago.

It was much earlier that a young, rebellious Betty Miller joined her hometown National Guard, “out of spite.”

Three years later, she was offered a position at the Raleigh National Guard Military Center as Supply Technician. “Rick and I were not yet married. He asked me if I took that job, what did I plan to do with him?”

New Year’s Eve, 1985, the two were married. Betty accepted the Raleigh job, where, for twelve years, they lived nearby and started a family.

Initially, Betty worked as a small arms repairer, then as armament supervisor during Desert Storm. Rick’s job was almost within sight, at the NC State University Research Test Farm.

In 1997, Betty accepted an active duty job as supply sergeant for the headquarters state area command and was eventually promoted to sergeant first-class. Following her father’s death in 1991 and her oldest sister’s in 1998, Betty relinquished her first-class rank for that of staff sergeant to move closer home.

Describing the Boone assignment as “the most challenging and humbling job,” it is also the one of which she’s most proud.

16 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

“Not for my accomplishments, but for the family I made within this organization.”

In 2002, she transferred “back home” to Jefferson. In 2004, Betty’s unit was activated to deploy to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

She left from Ft. Stewart, GA with the 1450th as a tractor-trailer driver. On the first mission into Iraq, she was hauling equipment.

Her service came to an abrupt halt with the biggest battle of her life. Red Cross sent a message that Rick had been diagnosed with a brain tumor. She flew home immediately. “Rick was asleep when I arrived home. I told him everything would be okay. Four days later he asked, ‘When did you get home?’” Reality hit. After eight weeks of radiation, however, the tumor disappeared.

Despite the 1450th being in harm’s way in Iraq, the group never forgot her, as was evidenced by cards and messages of encouragement.

“When they came home, I felt that I had failed them. Despite their asking me to stay, I transferred back to 1451st as a supply sergeant.”

Betty later deployed on an operation in Egypt. Soon after her return, the 1451st was activated to Louisiana for Hurricane Katrina relief.Three weeks in, they were alerted that deployment to Operation Iraqi Freedom was next.

“Rick said he and Steven would be fine, anticipating my

retirement when I returned.” Headed first to Camp Atterbury, IN, Betty’s responsibility was to help get the unit ready.

“Long days and nights kept me busy. Taking care of my soldiers kept me motivated. I talked to Rick almost daily. He was experiencing difficulty with memory, driving and even talking, but tried to keep it to himself. He wrecked his truck, but didn’t remember where or what had happened. I thought he must be forgetting to take his medicine.”

Less than a month later, Betty came home on leave, in time for Rick’s follow-up MRI and more tests. An earlier “nothing-to-worry-about small speck” was detected on the image.

The latest MRI results indicated a stage-4 tumor on the left of his brain.

Betty’s deployment was halted, a trip back to Camp Atterbury necessary for paperwork.

In the early morning hours of May 9, 2006, Betty was given an award for service to the unit and handed a Ziploc bag containing cash. “Before I could turn it down, my superior said, ‘Don’t hurt their feelings, they (the troops) want you to have this.’ I was speechless as I looked at their faces, drawing strength from their concern.

Through tears, humbled to the ground, I watched them leave.”

Betty returned home. The tumor was paralyzing her husband.

He was unable to speak. “I lost him July 24, along with the best part of myself. Cards and letters from the soldiers – so far away with their own burdens – continued to bring me strength.”

Betty began to anticipate the unit’s return scheduled for May, 2007. “On April 7, I was at the Boone Armory when we learned that two soldiers had died. My heart was broken again. I saw their faces, smiles -- and remembered the time we spent in Indiana.” Betty knew she had to be at Camp Atterbury to welcome the troops home. She received a message from the Commander that her replacement was there, that she did not need to come. “I responded, telling him I wasn’t asking his permission, I was just letting him know I would be there for as long as it took, and I’d do whatever I could to get those troops back to their families.”

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Two days prior to their arrival, Betty was there. “We were all sad – for my loss as a wife, as well as the loss we all experienced in losing two friends. They were there for me as much as I was for them.”

It’s moments like those that make Betty realize the depth of compassion she has for her troops – “my heroes, my caretakers and my friends.” There have been times when she wanted to “throw in the towel” and surrender to the pressures. “These soldiers motivate and inspire me to be just like they are. They make me want to be a better person. They have forgiven my weaknesses and shortcomings and make me proud to stand beside them as a soldier.”

Barbara Daye says of Betty Ellis, “I met her when I began working with the 1451st Family Readiness Group. She was always there to help and answer questions. Like so many women, Betty has dealt with the many responsibilities that come with being a wife, mother, professional and farmer. When Rick died, I watched her struggle to carry her load of responsibilities, which grew even larger – as a single parent and caring for the farm, which often requires working in the dark to care for her animals and the land she, Rick and their son really loved. She not only does things right, but believes in doing the right thing. Her family is first, next are her soldiers. She respects them and they respect her. Many soldiers confide in her and see her as a surrogate mother. She does everything she can to make sure they get the equipment they need, and she goes out of her way to see that they are dealt with fairly. She doesn’t understand the concept of a 40-hour week -- she always works longer and is a constant presence at the armory.”

Strong and compassionate, Barbara says, are two words that describe Betty Ellis best. “She feels deeply about the soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq and the five who died since returning. She has also been instrumental in the memorial garden that was recently dedicated at the Armory in Boone.”

Send questions/comments for Sherrie to: comments@aawmag.com.

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“Flying High for Veterans and their Families”

by Yozette “Yogi” Collins November 11th is Veterans Day, the one day each year when United States citizens collectively honor our military veterans. Many people in our community and nation, however, celebrate Veterans Day 365 days of the year in numerous ways. One way is through the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and their Ladies Auxiliary.

A one-year term as President of the Department of North Carolina’s Ladies Auxiliary is a national post to which many Veterans of Foreign Wars auxiliary women aspire. But, for current President Nadine White of Boone, it is more than the chance to serve veterans and lead over 9,000 auxiliary women in the state; it is the culmination of a promise she made 24 years ago.

Following a divorce from her first husband, Nadine received a call from Rod White, a former elementary and high school classmate who also had recently divorced his spouse. Rod, who had taken Nadine out on one date in high school, asked Nadine out for a second date. She agreed and their date kick-started a romance.

When Rod, a career military man serving in the Air Force, learned he would be stationed in Germany, he asked Nadine if she would come visit him if he sent her an airline ticket. “Of course, I said ‘yes,’ knowing he wasn’t going to send a plane ticket,” Nadine remembers. “Well, about a month Photo by Mark Mitchell after he got there [to Germany], I got a plane ticket.” That was her first-ever flight.The trip and their visit was apparently a happy one because Rod proposed to Nadine along the Mosul River in Trier, Germany.

They married in December, 1981 and, less than three years later while stationed in Maine, Rod was diagnosed with cancer attributed to his exposure to Agent Orange while in the Vietnam War. Rod died three months following his diagnosis. “We lacked one month being married three years,” Nadine recalls.

Tearing up at the memory, Nadine says Rod asked her to make three promises to him. “One, that I pay off my home with the insurance money and not work two and three jobs [to support her daughters from her first marriage] as I had been doing before he and I were married. Two, he said if at all possible he wanted me to buy a Cadillac Cimarron, a little car that I wanted desperately, and I did [buy one]. His third request was that I always support veterans of foreign wars in any way I could, especially at our little post in Boone. And I’ve just always felt like this is the culmination of my promises to him.”

Though she aimed to fulfill her promises, Nadine relishes her leadership positions with the Ladies Auxiliary because she appreciates United States veterans and believes in helping them and their families.

“That’s what our organization does.We definitely give to the veterans who have been there, those who are there and, believe it or not, those we’re still looking for who are missing-in-action or prisoners of war. We do have a bunch of those still out there.”

Along with teaching patriotism and flag etiquette to local schools and businesses, Nadine enjoys knowing her organization makes a big difference to veterans. “We do a lot of good.We have programs that support our veterans.We send packages overseas; we raise money to help our vets once they return or those who are sick.We have a very, very good Cancer Aid and Research Program that the ladies support.”

18 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

In fact, the Cancer Aid and Research Program is such an important part of the auxiliary that each incoming president designs her own pin to raise funds and promote awareness for the program. “Each president has what they call a ‘Cancer Pin’ and theme. My theme is ‘Flying High for Veterans and their Families’ and my particular symbol is a cardinal on a dogwood branch, which signifies North Carolina, but also I just love cardinals. I put cardinal food out all the time and I just love to sit on my couch and watch the cardinals come to my deck.”

Presidents also design a platform for their year of service. “Each president has a special project; mine is Hospice. The North Carolina Hospice Organization is initiating a new program called Hospice for Veterans. Our members are in the process of making pillows to present to veterans and any Hospice patient or Hospice organizations that can use the pillows for their patients.

We are asking our members to volunteer for Hospice. Watauga County doesn’t have a Hospice home [for veterans], but hopefully, one of these days we can organize a campaign to get a Veteran Hospice House because they are very beneficial to a county or an area.”

Since she sees her year as North Carolina President fulfilling her promises to Rod, what happens when her year of service comes to an end in June 2009? “I’ll continue to work, but I will not go for a national office again, no. It’s expensive on the state level, but unbelievably expensive on the national level. But, I will continue serving the vets in North Carolina or anywhere else in any way I possibly can.

I love our veterans and appreciate what the men and women do for our country. And, we do have women over there. Always have had and always will,”vshe stated like a true female patriot.

Founded in 1914, the Ladies Auxiliary to the VFW supports veterans and their families and plays an integral part in the volunteer work done by the VFW. Eligibility for the auxiliary is open to close female relatives (over the age of 16) of persons themselves eligible for membership to the VFW. For more information on membership to the Ladies Auxiliary, log on to www.nc-ladiesauxvfw.org or contact Nadine White at njwhite63@charter.net.

Send questions/comments for Yozette “Yogi” Collins to comments@ aawmag. com.

By Corrinne Loucks

Mother of two sons in Watauga’s 1451st National Guard unit, one home from Iraq and currently in active status to be deployed again, Donna Lyons has firsthand experience dealing with the emotions and effects of war on our veterans and their families.

Currently as Watauga County’s sole Veteran’s Service Officer (VSO), Donna has worked in the office for 27 ½ years, having been promoted twice, and with over two years in her current role. “I’m proud to be in this position assisting those whom I consider to be the most honorable people you’d ever meet,” Donna confesses.

In her many years in this position, Donna has seen vast changes. In the beginning, she dealt primarily with veterans of World War II and the Korean War, those who had gone away for four years of service before returning home.

And, although she still proudly serves some of those same folks, she now is seeing more people who are deployed for 9-18 months, return home, and then are deployed again.This causes an entirely different set of emotional and physical long-term effects.

Donna explains that only in the past 1520 years has the condition known as “post traumatic stress syndrome” been taken seriously, in terms of providing aid for soldiers returning with emotional wounds. Today she is seeing a new condition referred to as TBI, or “traumatic brain injury,” resulting from numerous jolts to the body’s system caused by proximity to explosions. (Lasting effects are similar to those seen in Mohammed Ali’s condition.)

Though we often think of physical injuries associated with war heroes, Donna sees even more in long-term effects of emotional hurts and scarring.

Many soldiers react months later, she shares, referring to when, 6-8 months after returning from Iraq, her youngest son finally opened his locker to mull over the still private contents within. And the spouses are equally, albeit differently, affected. Donna says, “The spouse never fires a gun, never puts on a uniform, but they live the same life. They need to prepare for who is coming home, just as the soldier needs to prepare for whom he or she is coming home to. The spouse at home has handled all of the home-related responsibilities for 15 or so months. They are soldiers, too, in their own right.”

Other changes are exemplified by the

ratio of men to women in the Armed Forces.

In 1981 when Donna started at the Veteran’s Administration (VA) office, there were two World War II female veterans in the area.

Referred to as the WACS and the WAVES, military women served mostly in nursing roles.

Today that number is much higher.

Seeing her son off to Iraq at Pope Air Force Base, Donna describes the women there as “putting on the same uniforms, pulling on the same boots, donning the same guns as the male soldiers.” Today woman soldiers are seen kissing their families and boarding planes while daddies, babies in tow, wave goodbye.

She also explains that most of the VA Hospitals now have women’s clinics staffed by woman doctors.

Donna’s job as the VSO is to assist veterans and their families in filing for the various veterans’ benefits through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. To file a “perfected” claim, Donna must stay on top of the ever-changing rules, as well as work with other agencies and the private sector. She utilizes her most important attribute of “good listener” to “hear their stories” and to be understanding of and knowledgeable about the VA system.

Working for Watauga County, Donna gets all of the documentation and records together to file VA benefits claims so that they’ll be federally approved. Even “perfected” claims can take from eight months to three years, plus appeals, before the veteran receives his or her benefits. Donna works on those claims for the duration.

When local 1451st Guard troop came home, Donna established a post-deployment health assessment for returning soldiers. She encourages all veterans to participate in this health assessment, as problems often do not show up until months later.With this returning health assessment, veterans will have some documentation of events that occurred to them while deployed. This documentation may be used later in order to apply for benefits related to medical or emotional repercussions that they experience in the future.

As the first female Veteran’s Service Officer

Photo by Corrinne Loucks

Helping Heroes

in Watauga County’s Veterans Services Office (est. 1932), Donna’s compassion shows clearly in her handling of clients who ultimately become her long-term friends. She admits having been impacted by her friends’ stories and heartbreaks along the way. She says the greatest difficulty, as well as the greatest reward in her job, is “getting attached.” She has heard client friends bare their souls and tell her secrets that she will take to her grave. She has rejoiced at births and cried with widows.

A native of Watauga County, Donna is married to Craig Lyons of Boone’s DMV, is very close to her family, and enjoys spending time with her three grandchildren in her off time.

Her eldest son,T.J. Proffit, once in the National Guard and now a Boone police officer, and his wife Chasity have two children, Thomas and Grace. Her younger son,Todd Lyons, currently on active deployment status with the National Guard and working for the Sheriff’s Dept., he and his wife Heather are proud new parents of four –month-old baby boy, Jett.

Donna describes her daughters-in-law as being just like daughters to her and they all are very supportive of one another. Donna is also getting excited about November’s upcoming deer season, as she anticipates surpassing her own record of a seven-point buck last fall! (She specifically points out that they eat all of the meat from their hunts.)

Donna feels very blessed to have been in her position for so many years and to have the opportunity to serve others in her capacity.

She loves working for the county and says she has always been treated very well. She is proud to work for the county’s honorable veterans and, through her job, hopes that,“in some small way, something I do is a way to give back to them. That’s what this office is all about.”

Send questions/comments for this article to: comments@aawmag.com. aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 19

The Way For Young Women

By Tiffany Allison For a young lady, the transformation that occurs between middle school and high school is monumental. It becomes a period of immense upgrades. Undershirts evolve into the uncomfortable travesty called brassieres; the old pink Schwinn turns into a used car. Instead of being the queen of the student kingdom, one becomes lost in the sea of high school students – and, in the middle of it all, “mother nature” steps in with her lovely blessing of womanhood.

It’s no wonder that seventh and eighth grade is an important time to foster dreams and ideals of young women.With that in mind,Watauga Cooperative Extension and the High Country Women’s Fund recently joined together to create Leadership, Environment & Agricultural Discoveries (LEAD), a program geared toward rising middle-school girls interested in science and the environment.

“I feel like that is such a critical age during which girls can go down an unhealthy path and the friends they have are so important,” says Catherine Scantlin, director of High Country Women’s Fund. “We felt it was a really good investment of our money to help these young girls with their future.”

LEAD is a weeklong program designed to nurture learning, build self-esteem, develop teamwork and leadership skills and encourage secondary education in science, explains Wendy Patoprsty, Extension agent.

During the first session, the girls studied topics including: health science, entomology, plant biology, horticulture, bio-assessment, water chemistry, fish biology and ecology. “This is the first time in Watauga Extension history that a summer camp developed specifically for girls has been conducted,” Patoprsty says.

Patoprsty and Scantlin wanted to create a camp where they could foster the girls’ interest in science through the use of experiential education.The girls met with an exercise physiologist and a dietitian to set goals concerning healthy diets and exercise.They discussed the topics of image and values of women among society, and participated in a conditioning class.

20 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

During the week, Brooke Cuttino, manager of the ASU Sustainable Farm in Valle Crucis, inspired the girls to pursue their dreams in horticulture and explained how she became a farm manager. After their day of “plant life,” the girls traveled to Apple Hill Farm to go horseback riding and interact with different animals while discussing animal rights in the US.

During the last two days of camp, the girls studied ecology and aquatic life. Students compared the difference between the creeks and streams of Boone to the Watauga River headwaters behind Grandfather Mountain.They performed chemical analysis on the creeks of Boone and searched for aquatic life within the streams. At the Watauga River behind Grandfather Mountain, they collected stoneflies, crane flies and caddis flies. On the last day, Kelly McCoy, fish biologist and owner of Rivergirl Outfitters, taught the girls to fly fish and explained the art and science behind fishing. Anna Ahlstrom, ASU geology student, spoke about Appalachian geology and the history of how the mountains and rivers have formed.

The program doesn’t stop after the week is over.The girls meet monthly to discuss issues and what they have learned from their experience.They also plan involvement in the upcoming Big Sweep service project with the Women’s Fund members following closely behind.

The goal of the camp leadership is to continue meeting with the girls throughout the year to develop relationships. “So when the girls get to high school and even now, they can have friends who are like-minded and interested in the field of science,” Patoprsty says. “We hope that the girls will continue to meet throughout the year and then when they get to high school they can mentor the upcoming new LEAD girls.”

At the end of the camp, the girls kept their Klean Kanteen and To Go Ware stainless steel water bottles and lunchboxes as a reward and a reminder of the economic impact they achieved over the summer.

“Overall this camp was spectacular, a learning experience for the participants and the Extension agents,” Patoprsty says.

Every student completed an evaluation form the last day of camp.

“The girls wrote they learned about courage, trust, knowledge, and friendship.They learned that science doesn’t have to be dorky, and there is a lot more to science than research.”

The elementary schools that participated in this program were Hardin Park, Cove Creek, Mabel and Blowing Rock.

In order to participate in the program, the girls have to be nominated by guidance counselors and teachers within their school. Nomination forms will be available after January, 2009 for the next camp. “We would like to have all the schools represented next year,” Patoprsty says.

Other sponsors of LEAD include ENV Environmental Consulting Firm of Boone and North State Environmental of Winston Salem.

For more information about LEAD, please contact Wendy Patoprsty at Wendy_Patoprsty@ncsu.edu The 2009 nomination forms for inclusion in upcoming camps will be available in January.

Send questions/comments for Tiffany to comments@aawmag.com.

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aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 21

CROSSROADS HEALING CENTER

C

rossroads Healing Center in Jefferson has recently celebrated nine successful years as one of the area’s premiere healthcare services. The vision for the private mental health therapy practice was one shared by Amanda Gentry, LPC, and Paulette Lawrence, LCSW, who established the practice in 1999 – “to create a safe and comfortable healing environment for community residents.”

That goal appears to have been accomplished easily as evidenced by those who continue to find the professional, yet compassionate, healing support they need to deal with some of life’s most difficult issues.

What began as a rather small, but muchneeded, service in the region has continued to expand. Today, Crossroads Healing Center offers a full realm of opportunities for individuals and families to reach their maximum potentials.

From everyday concerns that evolve into a heavy load to the more serious debilitating issues that seem to offer no hope at all, Crossroads can help.

Since the practice opened on September 1, 1999, individuals, couples, groups and especially children have benefited greatly from successful interventions.

Today, the warm, inviting atmosphere of the “homelike” business in its North Main Street setting lends itself to healing – from the colorful playrooms filled with toys and relaxing, comfortable furniture – to the professional, yet compassionate staff ready to embark upon a journey to wellness with their clients.

When the practice first began to grow, Crossroads invited graduate students from ASU to do practicums and internships.

Gentry explains, “We started expanding our services into businesses in the community and began offering workshops for employee team building, conflict management, and stress/burnout, etc.Through this work, we realized the importance of group work in the community.We began a great partnership with Ashe County 4H and its Blue Ridge Wilderness Program. At the time, 4H had lost the property for its ropes course.” Lawrence and Gentry own a farm in Ashe County and offered space for the ropes course. However, due to lack of funding, the program ended three years ago.

In 2004, Lawrence and Gentry expanded their programming in the community by starting an additional business called Abundance Summit, a retreat center at their farm that provides healing in nature. (www.abundancesummit.org.)

As growth continued, more space became available for other therapists. As space quickly filled, it became known as Crossroads Healing Center, offering different healing modalities for the community. “We feel so fortunate to have 22 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

been in practice for nine years and so thankful for the wonderful practitioners with whom we have the honor to work each day.”

As co-owner of the business with Lawrence, Gentry, a psychotherapist, specializes in both traditional and experiential therapies.

She is also an organic farmer dedicated to conservation and sustainable practices.

Lawrence is a licensed clinical social worker with many years of experience working with children, adults, and families. She currently treats adults and teenagers in her private practice, seeing them as individuals, couples and families and she leads or co-leads therapeutic groups. She uses expressive and experiential therapies in her practice, as well as more traditional psychotherapy.

She is a second-degree Reiki practitioner and is involved in nature-based activities such as vision questing, organic gardening and other diverse creative endeavors.

Partnering therapists include:

Jenny Holmes, a licensed professional counselor with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in counseling, uses traditional therapies as well as expressive arts, behavioral and cognitive methods in her work with individuals, couples and families. Holmes has experience working with survivors of domestic violence, children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral problems, and adults with mental health issues. She has done behavior modification programs with children, counseling through the school system with adolescents and individual counseling with adults, as well as couples and family counseling in a multitude of settings. She provides private counseling services to diverse populations.

Holmes is a professional health care provider who develops individualized services in a comfortable and confidential setting.

Julie Smith, a massage therapist since 1995 and registered yoga teacher, has been with Crossroads since 2005. She loves to combine her massage work and yoga therapy in client sessions and offers Swedish and deep tissue massage on the table, and yoga therapy, Thai bodywork, and Rossiter coaching on a floormat.

Smith considers herself a partner in helping her clients achieve their wellness goals. Lifestyle choices are an important aspect of health, and she loves to encourage clients on their creative and personal journeys toward wholeness.

Barbara Brown, licensed professional counselor with over 30 years of experience

Photo provided by Crossroads Healing Center

Where The Journey To Wellness Begins

counseling individuals and families, received her master’s degree from Penn State in 1975 and has extensive additional training in children’s issues, anxiety and mood disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse and expressive arts therapy. She utilizes a wide variety of methods in her work including relationship enhancement therapy, relaxation and stress management skills training, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral methods to facilitate change and growth in her work with individuals and families.

Colinda Hendricks, with over 20 years of experience as a psychotherapist,has been in practice in Ashe County since 1993. Her background is in humanistic psychology and play therapy. Working creatively with children, teenagers, adults, couples, families and groups, Colinda loves the challenge and process of creating healing relationships and providing a safe space in which to explore struggles and possibilities. She specializes in children’s play therapy, while using expressive arts such as drawing, painting, music, writing, and drama in the process of self- discovery.

Edward Elliott, nationally and state board certified by the NCCAOM and NCALB, also holds an NADA certification, treating many illnesses as well as offering addiction therapy. Elliott was one of the first graduates of the Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine in Sugar Grove and has been in practice since 2004. A native of the area, he returned to the High Country 12 years ago to study healing. Since then, he’s learned different ways acupuncture can treat illnesses beyond ones most people associate with the treatment, such as sore muscles or back pain. Elliott’s patients have seen positive results for a wide variety of illnesses, including those that sometimes frustrate health practitioners and their patients because they are often difficult to diagnose and treat.

Send questions/comments for this article to: comments@aawmag.com.

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aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 23

A Full Circle

ARTICLE AND PHOTOS BY MELANIE DAVIS

L

ast month, a local physician was invited to be a keynote speaker at the World Burn Congress, a four-day conference that serves as a support network for burn survivors.

For Dr. Leslie Smith, the invitation to speak was symbolic of her life coming full circle from burn patient to survivor, from homeless to physician.

The World Burn Congress was held at the Raleigh Convention Center, built on the site of the former civic center – the very place Smith had slept on the benches or been chased off by police in the mid-1980s.

The circle began in 1985 when Smith, 24 at the time, was burned in a fire--the details of which she prefers not to discuss--and spent three months in the Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill. Smith suffered severe burns on 33 percent of her body. Upon discharge, she had nowhere to go. A lawyer for the hospital drove her to the Raleigh Rescue Mission shelter.

Smith had intended to go to the Social Services office for assistance with food, bandages and other necessities.The office was across town from the shelter and she remained bandaged from neck to ankle.Another person at the shelter told her a place, Urban Ministries, could provide city bus tickets to the first 25 people per day.

Early the next morning, Smith walked about one mile to the ministries office. The director, Sister Helen Wright, spoke to her directly, stepped out of the office, and returned with vouchers to grocery stores, pharmacies, Trailways bus tickets to return to the Chapel Hill burn center, and city bus tickets.

Wright also made an appointment with an adult protective services case manager to meet with Smith. Smith’s physical therapy continued through the burn center.

For the next two years, Smith remained homeless, staying in shelters, on the streets, in temporary group homes and various other living situations.

The nights in shelters were limited to two days at the rescue mission and seven days at the Salvation Army within a 30-day period.

“You played the weather game. If it was going to be bad, you stayed at the shelter. If it wasn’t, you slept someplace in downtown Raleigh,” Smith said.

One of her most memorable experiences came near the end of her 24 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

homelessness.As she was waiting in line for a bed at the shelter, she felt very faint and had to sit down on a curb. She weighed only 69 pounds because of malnutrition and her burns weren’t healing well. The skin graphs were not taking due to the lack of nutrition.

As she sat down, a man also stepped out of line to ask her what was wrong. She explained and he responded with “I’ll fix it.” He returned a few moments later with a dollar and some change for her to buy food.

“It was the sweetest thing. Here is this person who has as little as I did, yet he panhandled to get me something to eat,” Smith said.

Together they walked across the street and bought a bag of potato chips and a Sprite and shared the meal.

Shortly thereafter, Smith was admitted to a nursing home. Five years after the burn, Smith still had open wounds. Muscle and skin contracture had limited her movement, particularly her left arm. The skin and scarring had caused a negative contracture, meaning her arm would not go to her side. Smith had to rest her left hand on her right shoulder. She was in and out of a wheelchair due to frequent falls.

While at the nursing home, eating three meals a day strengthened Smith and she began to heal. A social network formed with the women of the nursing staff, giving Smith additional comfort she hadn’t found while living on the streets.

In 1990, an independent living program helped Smith get into an apartment of her own.

She was active in a group, Handicapped Encounter Christ. While on a retreat with the group, Smith met women who had a Ph.D in pharmacology, an interest of Smith’s.

The connection put her in contact with Dr. John Drake of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. In October of 1990, he set up an interview to meet Smith about the possibility of volunteering in the research department.

Smith’s nursing assistant, who helped her bathe, had called in sick. “It was the first time I bathed on my own,” she said. “It made me realize there were things I could do that I hadn’t tried to do.”

She was given a research position at NIEHS. The position opened up a world of possibilities for Smith. During a thunderstorm, the electricity

went out in the building. The lab was on the seventh floor and the elevators weren’t working.

“I panicked, thinking what if I got stuck in a burning building,” she said.

Immediately, Smith restarted her physical therapy and eventually quit using a wheelchair altogether and became strong enough to tackle stairs.

It was during her time at NIEHS, she found a surgeon to perform the surgery to release the skin contracture in her shoulder. Seven years after she had been burned, Smith regained her physical movement.

She began taking summer classes at N.C. State University to better understand the research she was conducting. Smith then decided to go all the way and she talked to her vocational rehabilitation therapist about funding.

A scholarship was available through the GlaxoWelcome company for those who had overcome adversity. She applied for and received the scholarship, full funding for her undergraduate studies.

During her acceptance speech, she mentioned she wanted to seek a Ph.D from Duke University. One of the members of the scholarship selection committee was Janet Dickerson, vice president of academic affairs at Duke.

Before long, Smith graduated with a biochemistry degree from Duke.

Throughout her studies, she had remained active with the Handicapped Encounter Christ group. As a graduation present, a friend in the group gave Smith a rafting trip. It was something she had always wanted to do, but had previously been physically limited. Her friend was unable to go, but Smith went away.

She made a good friend on the trip, Hank Cantrell. They had driven together for the rafting trip and one week later, he asked her out. It was the first time since the fire she had been asked out on a date.As Smith explained, burn patients lose a sense of self-image and develop a fear of their scars.

Though she didn’t go into detail about the date, she and Cantrell remain close friends.

After graduation, Smith’s physician wanted to speak to her about the possibility of medical school. Initially, Smith was completely against the idea.

She saw a social class separation between the poor and homeless and physicians. “I had grown to despise the rich because I couldn’t get my muscle

contracture released,” she said. “No plastic surgeon wanted a homeless person in their office.”

Regardless of her opinion, she agreed to speak with her physician about medical school in exchange for his assistance with a fundraiser for the HEC group.

“He made a good argument by saying who better to change the health care system than a person who has walked through it,” Smith said.

She applied and received a full scholarship to East Carolina University medical school. She completed her residency in Louisville, KY before returning to North Carolina.

“I feel like I have an obligation to North Carolina because they are the ones who picked me up when I was down and put me back together,” Smith said.

Smith became hospitalist at Watauga Medical Center, the doctor on call for in-patients and the intensive care unit. She worked there for two years before joining Primedical Healthcare on the N.C. 105 Extension in Boone in August.

Smith also serves as medical director for the farm workers clinic at Cannon Memorial Hospital and medical director of the Appalachian District Regional Health Department.

When Smith was in Raleigh last week at the World Burn Congress, she visited the rescue mission and Sister Wright. The conference was held in conjunction with the N.C. Firefighters barbecue cook-off. She and the Raleigh fire marshal delivered the eight leftover trays of chicken and pork to the mission.

“Going from homelessness to being a physician was not something I did on my own,” Smith said. “It was a whole bunch of people stepping in and picking me up when I fell down, providing food and shelter and motivating me to get back in school and believe in myself again.”

“I find it mind-boggling what those little acts of kindness have done to change my life.”

Send questions/comments for Melanie to: comments@aawmag.com.

aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 25

Karen Radcliff:

Minding Her Own Business

Article and photo by Vicki Randolph Stepping into Sally Mae’s Emporium in West Jefferson is like taking a step into the past.

Original tin ceilings and hardwood floors of days-gone-by seem to transport shoppers to simpler times. Glass cases of curios and jars of stick candies add to the store’s nostalgia.

Karen Radcliff is the owner of Sally Mae’s, and her love of the store is obvious. Named after her mother, Sally Mae Burnsed, the store was inspired by her mom’s combined love for the mountains and love for shopping. Karen knows the emporium is a place her mom truly would love to visit if she were still here.

As owner of one business and manager of another, Karen’s plate is full, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. “People tell me I should slow down,” she says, “but I love what I do—I enjoy my work.”

Besides taking care of things at Sally Mae’s, Karen is also the manager of the Northwest Trading Post on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Because of her business sense and emporium-style know how, she was asked to manage the Trading Post when long-time manager Faye Dancy retired.

Since Karen is all about Ashe County, she took on the challenge two years ago. Now she spends her time flitting between the two shops—both of which are reminiscent of the good ole days. It doesn’t seem to faze her; she just divides her time and attention equally between the two.

“Lord, we love Karen! She’s wonderful,” says one longtime employee of the Trading Past. “She’s only changed things for the better.”

Karen’s history of being a retailer in Ashe County goes back only six years, but it seems like so much longer. “Sally Mae’s is like a town anchor,” says a shopper in West Jefferson.“It’s where everybody goes.”

Of course it’s because there is so much being offered there, but it could also be the sheer size of the place.

The Radcliffs originally opened a small gift shop in town, located in the back of the old Red Hen Restaurant. They went from that meager 450-square-foot shop to the half-block, 7,000-square-foot historic building they are located in now.

Once again, it’s not something she was necessarily seeking out; it just sort of happened. “I had gone to the Chamber of Commerce and asked what I could do to help the county,” says Karen.“Kitty Lawrence, the director at the time, is the one who suggested an emporium.”

Between that and the encouragement of the building owners, Jeff and Carol Dodson, everything just fell into place. “There is so much talent here in Ashe County. People just needed a place to put their work,” she says. “We’ve created a place for that.”

Sally Mae’s features local artisans, who contribute handmade crafts. “Without our vendors, we wouldn’t have that unique draw here—it’s just different,” says Karen, fondly.

Perhaps that’s what draws in so many tourists and locals alike. It is just different. It’s not like any other shopping experience. There really is something for everyone. Even the “misters” can be seen happily wandering around while waiting on their lady shoppers, for there are 26 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

dozens of enlarged old photographs up on every wall. The black and white pictures serve as windows in time to the way things used to look in West Jefferson.

Shopping at Sally Mae’s really is done best on a regular basis, since things are always changing.Vendors create everything from homemade soaps and lotions to quilts and hand-knit scarves—you just never know what you’ll find. The latest rage is floral arrangements adorned with lit flowers. “Get’m” while they’re hot, because like everything else at the emporium, they are popular with the shoppers.

A number of Karen’s vendors have even gone on to start their own businesses.“We’ve become known as a small business incubator,” she jokes. But it’s true, she simply has a knack for business and seems to pass on her expertise to everyone with whom she works.

As the holidays approach, there will be even more shopping going on. High Country residents are encouraged to keep their Christmas shopping local. Not only will it save everyone gas and energy, but it also makes more sense. Why not give unique mountain-made gifts instead of impersonal imported ones that wouldn’t be as special—all the while helping to boost the local economy?

Karen supports Ashe County in every way she can, and she hope others will do the same. She urges local residents to support all the businesses in town and, as always, it’s not just about her. “If locals would commit to doing their Christmas shopping locally, every business would make it through the winter. We all need them now, more than ever.”

So next time you are in West Jefferson, drop by Sally Mae’s to take a look. There are so many things to be discovered and so many nooks and crannies filled to the brim with unique handcrafted items.

If you don’t see Karen there, drive on out to the Parkway and explore even more handmade Blue Ridge treasures at the Northwest Trading post. She’d love to say “hi” and show you around!

Send questions/comments for Vicki to: comments@aawmag.com.

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828.295.3651 aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 27

High Country Caregiver Foundation Honors the High Country’s Family Caregivers High Country Caregiver Foundation, along with numerous national organizations, major corporations and community-based groups around the country, are celebrating National Family Caregivers Month (NFC Month) in November to thank and support the High Country’s Family Caregivers.

Who is a family caregiver? Who is providing 306 billion dollars of “free” caregiving services to support our healthcare system? Of course, physicians, nurses, social workers, in-home aides, psychologists, and members of the clergy, are givers of care. But are they caregivers?

Family caregivers are those individuals who provide care to a loved one who is chronically ill or disabled.

According to the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA), in any given year over 50 million people provide some level of caregiving services to loved ones. Those services are valued at more than $306 billion dollars a year. Family caregivers provide more than 80% of all home care services. Of today’s family caregivers, 40% provide some level of nursing support. American businesses can lose as much as $34 billion each year due to employees’ need to care for loved ones 50 years of age or older.

Over the past decade, the awareness gained by family caregivers and others has changed caregiving from a private family situation to a public issue. Today policy makers, employers, insurers, and healthcare professionals are beginning to address the concerns of family caregivers. Now it is important to continue to build on the awareness and advocate for momentous action. Family caregiving is an issue for all of us. Rosalyn Carter said that there are only four kinds of people in the world — those who have been caregivers, those who currently are caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers. None of us will be excluded.

“Our organization is pleased to have this opportunity to formally recognize and celebrate the valuable role they play,” said Brenda Reece, Family Caregiver Specialist for the Area Agency on Aging and Executive Director of the High Country Caregiver Foundation (HCCF).

High Country Caregiver Foundation Hosts Inaugural Trivia Challenge The High Country Caregiver Foundation will host its inaugural Trivia Night Challenge on Nov. 8 at Fairfield Inn & Suites in Boone. This event promises to be a fun-filled evening during which community members and businesses match wits and trivia knowledge while helping to raise funds and awareness for the High Country Caregiver Foundation Respite Voucher Program.

The number of family members caring for ill or elderly relatives is growing as our population continues to age. Community support is vital.

Businesses, civic clubs and individuals are encouraged to support the area’s dedicated caregivers by participating in the regions first Trivia Challenge.

The High Country Caregiver Foundation is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to create awareness of caregiving issues and improve the quality of life for caregivers and those they care for through advocacy, information and referral, education, emotional support and respite services.

28 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

The Trivia Challenge will consist of teams of 5 to 10 people who will test their knowledge in categories such as; geography, sports, entertainment, music, history, arts & sciences, and literature. Winning teams receive prizes and bragging rights. Admission fee of $20 per person includes pizza, beverages, cash bar and snacks.

This casual, fun night out offers raffles, prizes, food, drinks, and plenty of laughs. The evening begins at 6 PM with a reception followed

by The Trivia Challenge at 7 PM in the Blue Ridge Room, second floor.

For more information or to register your team by phone, contact Brenda Reece, Caregiving Specialist at breece@regiond.org or 265-5434, ext. 128.

Caring for the Caregiver

• Offer a few hours of respite time to a family caregiver so they can spend time with friends, or simply relax.

• Send a card of appreciation or a bouquet of flowers to brighten a family caregiver’s day.

• Encourage local businesses to offer a free service for family caregivers through the month of November.

• Help a family caregiver decorate their home for the holidays or offer to address envelopes for their holiday cards.

• Offer comic relief! Purchase tickets to a local comedy club, give a family caregiver your favorite funny movie to view, or provide them with a book on tape.

• Find 12 different photos of the caregiver’s family and friends. Have a copy center create a 2009 calendar that the family caregiver can use to keep track of appointments and events.

• Offer to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for a caregiving family in your community, so they can just relax and enjoy the holiday.

• Take a few minutes to write a letter. Encourage your faith

community to ask for prayers not only for those who are ill, but also those who care for them.

• Encourage family caregivers to become a part of a caregiver support group. It’s a great place not only to share, but also to lend a shoulder to others in like situations.

• Help a family caregiver find new educational materials and support through family care-giving Web sites or by contacting Brenda Reece, Caregiving Specialist with the Area Agency on Aging and Executive Director of the High Country Caregiver Foundation, at breece@regiond.org or 265-5434, ext. 128.

Parenting Page| WRITTEN BY THE GREATSCHOOLS.NET STAFF

Teaching

A Monthly Column Provided by Watauga County Children’s Council

Children to Give

family to make the person feel loved andincluded during the holidays.

• Talk about beginning the new year with a family giving box. Everyone can regularly add a small amount of money to the box to contribute to a group or cause the family agrees to support.

Giving gives children a sense of self-esteem and pride, says Sabin. “Giving is addictive. It gets in your blood. It makes you realize that you and your actions matter.”

For more information, contact the Watauga County Children’s Council at 25 Birch Street, Suite #3, Boone, NC 28607 (828)~262~5424 Send questions/comments for this article to comments@aawmag. com.

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Sharing the experience of giving can be the most rewarding present you give your child this holiday season.

It can be tough to teach children the value of giving in a season when they’re surrounded by messages about the value of getting.

Here are five ways to start:

Start small when the kids are small. Your young child might be happy to help bake cookies for a friend but end up wanting to keep the gift. Plan for this by baking enough cookies to keep and enough cookies to give.Young children need help in learning to share.

Teach your child that he or she doesn’t need money to give.

Help your child make gift certificates good for “one free car wash” or “breakfast in bed” that he can give to others in the family.

Involve your child in selecting the gift. You may think that donating to cancer research is important, but your child who is an animal lover may be more interested in making sure the dogs at the humane society have an extra treat at the holidays. Help find a way to give the gift she or he feels is important.

Be a role model.Volunteer your family’s time at a soup kitchen or senior center. Gather small-size toiletries, such as toothpaste and shampoo, and pack them in decorated gift bags to take to a homeless shelter. Ask your child if he’ll help you baby-sit for a neighbor’s toddler so she can do her shopping or help you rake the leaves for an elderly friend.

Personalize giving. It’s faster for busy parents to write a check to a charity, but it has little impact on a child who can’t see where the money is going or imagine the people who benefit. Delivering canned goods to a food bank is more meaningful than dropping a check in the mail.Your family could “adopt” a needy family through a community organization, choose the gifts and wrap them.

Feeling too busy to organize an activity like this? Author Ellen Sabin has suggestions that can work for the most time-challenged parents. Sabin wrote The Giving Book: Open the Door to a Lifetime of Giving, an interactive workbook to help 6- to 11-year-olds discover the joy of giving and their power to make a difference.

Sabin also offers free tools and guides for parents, teachers and religious educators to use with her book.

Sabin suggests having a family conversation about what you’re thankful for. That will help your child realize that what he or she values may be missing in other people’s lives.

Sabin also offers three activities to try. “These things don’t take huge amounts of time. They just take a few moments of thoughtfulness.”

• Start a tradition in which family members set aside one of their gifts to give to someone less fortunate.

• Think of someone without a family -- a soldier, a distant relative, a friend in the hospital -- and write a letter as a

. . . . . . . . . Just

aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 29

For Giving

Heartfelt| BY TERI WIGGANS

What a beautiful day it is. The wind is blowing, moving the trees in such a way that they sound like they are carrying on a conversation. As I listen, they are sharing a sense of peace with me. What does peace feel like, you wonder. It’s in the stillness of the mind and heart. Everything is in its place and all is well. Nothing need be changed.

I learned an exercise on how to become more peaceful at a conference I attended two years ago. The speaker was Karol K. Truman, who has written the book, Feelings Buried Alive Never Die…. The exercise is on forgiving. I will take you through my own journey of forgiving so that you can see the process more clearly.The exercise includes writing first to your father, then your mother, then the medical team who delivered you into this world.

I began with “I forgive you, Dad, for….” Then I just wrote everything that came up beginning with my first memories as a child, then progressed to adulthood. For example, I forgave him for not coming to my girls’ softball games when I was in 6th grade to support me as a shortstop and for making me finish painting a stepladder that I wanted to quit painting long before I was done. Through my forgiving, I saw a new perspective.

My dad just wanted me to complete a task and keep my commitment; he wasn’t trying to make me angry and upset.

I wrote and wrote, sometimes repeating the same thoughts until I no longer had any strong feelings of upset, anger or resentment. I then repeated the process with my mother. It’s important to write about hurtful things from your child perspective as the memories are still there even though through adult eyes it may seem like nothing now.

My mother used to yell at me to hurry up and get ready to go to school. I did not like yelling. It seemed to make me more frenzied. I was in junior high school and I seemed to be very particular about how I looked.

I remember trying on multiple outfits, never being quite satisfied that I looked just right.Well, that added to me not being ready on time and then Mom yelling. The pattern seemed to continue day after day. When I was doing my forgiving, I realized how much my mother did every day. She packed in organizing our breakfast, often starting dinner in the morning, taking us to school, working fulltime, doing laundry and baking a pie during lunchtime and then cooking dinner when she got home.Yes, as I look back, she was a super mom. Even though the yelling did not feel good at the time, she was doing her best. Again, I had a new understanding.

I forgave both of my parents for not allowing me to invite an AfricanAmerican friend over to dinner when I was in high school because my friend was of a different color. I was in disbelief at the time for the message that came from my religious community was that God loves everyone the same and therefore we are to treat everyone with love and respect. My

parents’ beliefs, in that moment, were not matching the religious message we all received at church. I was angry and frustrated.Their fear of what our neighbors and friends would think became stronger than love. I forgave.

I then asked my mother about my birthing process. Our birth represents the first impression we have of this world and how we came into the world can influence our perspective. For example, my mother had anesthesia and consequently so did I. She doesn’t remember the details of my birth. She stayed in the hospital for 10 days, as was the custom, so she wasn’t holding me as much as she probably could have if she had been at home. Then she tried to breastfeed me, was not successful and had no support from the medical team to provide the technique that would make all the difference. Again, it was not the custom to breastfeed.

From an infant’s perspective, I could have been influenced at that early age that I “was not good enough” or perhaps “worthy enough.” We don’t always know where our core beliefs come from. So, the idea of forgiving my mother and the medical team for a less than ideal birth and newborn experience becomes important.

Each of you will go through your own process if you choose to take on this exercise. I opened up space in my heart as I forgave and let go of any anger and resentment that I had buried over the years. I filled that space with new compassion and love for my parents, feeling lighter and more peaceful. We have opportunities to forgive people on a daily basis.

Whenever we get upset for any reason, we can look to the other person we are upset with and forgive them immediately. We don’t have to carry that heavy burden of anger or resentment around with us for any length of time.You are giving to yourself each time you forgive. Peace occurs. As you continue to forgive, the process becomes easier.

This Thanksgiving can be a time “For Giving.” Maybe you are thinking that your childhood was so horrible that there is no way you could ever forgive your mother or father or anyone else who might have cared for you. You want the world to know that this person did you wrong. Being right becomes more important than forgiving. Your choice to not forgive does nothing but cause pain to you. That pain affects your health in many ways -- illness, depression, poor relationships with family members, lack of joy in your life, etc.

You could use this time before Thanksgiving to break the cycle of holding grudges, creating new space for more joy and good health. That would truly be something you could be thankful for and that, too, radiates outward to family and friends. I invite you to do the exercise described above and let me know how it makes a difference in your life.

Send questions/comments for Teri to: comments@aawmag.com.

Clipart.com image 30 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

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Provided the resources are available, financial assistance will be offered for those who qualify. aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 31

Its Not About Winning Or Losing, But How You

Play The Game

We all play to win. As an ardent board game player, I prefer fastpaced interactive games consisting of multiple rounds, allowing multiple “winners” during the game. Three-hour-plus Monopoly engagements that usually result in a slow, torturous demise for some unfortunate player are far less attractive. Gambling holds no appeal; not only are the odds stacked firmly for “the house,” but the disappointment of losing my funds far exceeds any momentary delight that the temporary winning of a hand of blackjack provides. My chances to do a “victory dance” are far better if I stick to board games and cards, thank you.

When we have worked hard and invested our time, efforts and energies, then the outcome of our sporting event, competition, interview, or potential promotion matters.

Learning to handle victory and defeat graciously - and to learn from our mistakes as youth in school, at play, and in the sports arena - prepares us to be victorious in the game of life.

With fall sports underway, here are some ideas to help you and encourage those around you to present good sportsmanship in victory and defeat.

Being a good winner is as important as winning. Celebrate your victory without gloating or bragging. Insulting the losing team or boasting about your achievements makes others feel bad, and makes you look bad. Remember to treat others with the same dignity that you want to be shown when your efforts have come up short. Do take a moment to acknowledge the losing members with a sincere word of thanks for playing or encouragement - “Thanks for playing today,” or “Good game.”

Although none of us enjoys losing, how you lose is as important as how you win. Your behavior before, during, and after the competition determines whether you are a winner or loser in life long after the final score or outcome of the contest is forgotten. Being well prepared, trying your hardest, and enjoying the experience will equip you for the next challenge.

Not winning presents the ultimate test of good manners, because having good sportsmanship demands that we act in sharp contrast to our feelings. When we are disappointed and frustrated, conducting ourselves with the self-control and fairness that we like to see in others is difficult.

Blaming others for your loss, making excuses, or outright temper tantrums, reflect poorly on the individual, and are 32 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

Clipart.com image

High Country Courtesies|BY SHARON CARLTON

unpleasant for others to witness. When you make a mistake, admit it, and move ahead. Offering a word of encouragement (“Good try” or “We’ll get them next time”) to a team member who made a mistake will promote team spirit and help that person move past his or her frustration.

Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never, never give up.”

That wisdom applies when you are facing an obvious defeat, a round of bad calls, or biased judges. Using every opportunity to do your best strengthens you. When you strive in the face of defeat, your example will enhance the competition and quietly inspire those who observe you, giving them courage to do the same.

Leave any anger and disappointment on the playing field or site of the contest. Ask yourself what you can learn from the experience, how you can improve on your performance to be a stronger competitor.

When those around you are struggling with a defeat, you can comfort them with words that appreciate their efforts, praising them for their specific achievements within the experience. A pat on the back, holding their hand, or sitting with them can let them know that you are on their side and that you care.

We all play to win, and we all desire to be treated with fairness and respect. Your behavior communicates respect, or a lack thereof, for your coaches, teammates, competition, and yourself. By your conduct, you can enhance the competition for yourself and everyone involved. As the “Mothers of the World” have always said, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game that counts.” Although we may not be able to be the “top dog” every time, we can live with a victorious attitude.

That is the true victory.

Sharon Carlton is the Director of High Country Cotillion and High Country Courtesies. She conducts customer service workshops and speaks on etiquette-related topics in the High Country. She can be reached at scarlton@highcountrycotillion.com.

Send questions/comments about this article to comments@aawmag.com.

aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 33

A Savvy Decorator With A Giving Heart

S

Photos by Mark Mitchell

Linda Killian

By Sherrie Norris

ince landing on “the mountain” nearly five years ago, Linda Killian, known to many as “that classy lady with tons of talent,” has found her niche.

A decorator by nature, Linda has a way of turning a drab corner into a showplace, just by “staging” – simply moving things around from one room to another and, in many cases, from one wall to another to produce an entirely new look.

Linda is a highly sought-after resource for homeowners in the High Country who don’t wish to invest a lot of money into new décor, but still desire an “uplift” to their current living or working space. She can practically work miracles in transforming a space, whether large or small, and she has fun in the process.

It all came about quite by accident, she shares, after her late husband’s corporate career took them from city to city. She had to decorate 10 homes “and at least that many apartments during job relocations.” Her boost of confidence came while living in Chicago where their home was placed on the Women’s League tour of homes.

Linda’s love for people makes it “so much fun to go into someone’s home and do an assessment of what they want, what they have, and what they need.” Sometimes, she says, they find that what they need is right there in their own home and just hiding in another room.

“I’ve taken a three-story home and moved furniture from upstairs to the basement and the other way around. It’s absolutely amazing how different a piece of furniture looks at an angle or just in a different room.”

During her initial visits, Linda discusses with clients what they want and the colors they like. “When someone says green--well, 34 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

there are thousands of greens, so we look through paint samples until we find the color they want.”

The first rule, she emphasizes, “is to work from one thing you love--a piece of furniture, a quilt, a sofa, or if you don’t like anything, well, then we go shopping!” After a focal point is defined, the fun begins. “I’ve always been a believer that you can choose one valuable piece and add other things without spending a lot of money. Hey, girls, if you don’t pay too much for something, you can trade it out down the road and you won’t feel like you’ve wasted your money!”

Decorating is not just for the inside, but for the outside too, Linda reminds us. “I love to stage the outside of my home for the seasons. My window boxes are filled with live and faux plants, such as berries, pumpkins, and pine cones.The great thing about this is, when Thanksgiving is over, I just pull out the pumpkins and fall foliage and add red berries in their place for Christmas. I’m a practical person, so the fewer steps to success, the better.”

Linda loves to shop both with her clients or for them. “The end product gives me as much enjoyment as it does my clients. Just remember, you don’t have to spend a lot for it to look like you did.”

Her friends and associates are always asking her how she comes up with her ideas.“We might be talking about a ‘chicken coop’ on the wall in my den and chicken wire on the door of one of my kitchen cabinets, but all I can say is, my mind starts to spin and here come the ideas! It’s a God-given talent and I’m glad He blessed me with it. I had a client tell me one day, ‘Linda, I can see your mind spinning and you’re coming up with something.’ Well, that’s usually how it works.”

It’s basically a new role for this young widow who, as a mother of

a good fight during the next ten years with 68 chemotherapies, three surgeries, 28 radiation treatments and countless tests until the Lord called his name in 2003.”

After Larry’s death, Linda said she “was lost for quite a while,” but now, she’s begun to live again. “I found that my former role of ‘taking care of everything’ had not changed, and I realized it had been training for the life I have now. I began to stretch my wings and do the things I was given the talent to do and I surprised myself that I could do it. I’ve been amazed by this new role, but I’ve had wonderful friends and family who have encouraged me along the way.”

During the past five years, Linda has become a motivational speaker, addressing numerous women’s groups and has organized women’s retreats and started her own decorating business called Cabin Design Interior Decorating in West Jefferson.

She loves to travel –- especially to visit her sons and their families in Texas -- and to see friends scattered about in cities where she and Larry once lived. “And, I love New York -- the Broadway plays and the little hole-in-the-wall authentic pizza places!”

She loves fashion and shopping. One friend hears this, chuckles and says, “Linda is fashion.”

Aside from just “looking good,” Linda Killian sets out to “do good.”

With a heart for others, she involves herself in various community service projects. She attends Bald Mountain Baptist Church, where she has taught Bible studies and worked with a widows’ support group. She directs weddings and most recently donated countless hours to a non-profit effort to build a home for a young woman with multiple disabilities. “I love doing things for others. I like to make people happy.”

She also loves to entertain and just looks for reasons to have guests. “Just give me an excuse to have a party –- Super Bowl, birthdays, you name it. I love to welcome people into my home and I love to cook when I’m happy.”

Linda Killian says, “Thanksgiving is the month we count our blessings and give thanks to the One who is the giver of all good gifts. I have a very long list.”

two and grandmother of nine, moved to the High Country with her husband just a short time before his unexpected death. The couple had purchased their mountaintop oasis at Fleetwood Falls with intentions of making it their retirement home. The minute the duo discovered their peaceful refuge, they knew they each had “come home.”

The hard part came soon afterward, when Linda was left to live their dream alone.

Send questions/comments for Sherrie to: comments@aawmag.com.

With November signifying a time to reflect upon one’s blessings, Linda is quick to say,“I’ve been so blessed in my life. My childhood was filled with laughter and fun. My dad was called down by my mother for acting up more than my three sisters and me combined!”

At the age of nine, Linda met “a freckled faced little boy” at Camp Lurecrest in Lake Lure. She saw him again at the age of 15.

“He looked at me walking down the hall of our high school--he at the side of his steady girl.”

Linda ended up marrying that boy when she graduated and became the mother of two sons.

“Larry and I were married for 35 years and had our ups and downs like most couple do, but we were truly soul mates. He had the career and I took care of everything else. We were a great team. We had the adventure of living in nine states during those years and were blessed with lasting friendships in each state.”

Linda never dreamed, after what was to be simple exploratory surgery in 1993, that the doctor would call her into a room and say, “Linda, Larry, has cancer. There is nothing we can do. The best thing for him to do is to go home and prepare to die.”

“My world stopped at that moment,’ she shares, “along with my dreams, our plans, even my next breath. But with that news came peace and a hope that could have only come from my Lord. I’ll never forget my husband’s response to the news, as I was the one to relay it when he awoke from his surgery. With tears in his eyes, he looked at me and said, ‘Linda, I’m in a win-win, situation. If I die, I win because I will be in Heaven and, if I live, I win because I’ll be with you.”

Larry outlived many of the odds. He worked every day except the days of chemotherapy or while recovering from surgery. “He fought

aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 35

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s n i a t n u o M e h t n i “Chr ist mas Volu me 2” Proceeds Benefit Hunger and Health Coalition “Sweet music to the ear” is how it’s being described by those who have heard Christmas in the Mountains Volume 2, which includes the work of numerous local female vocalists and musicians – Mary Greene, Laura Kaufman, Becca Eggers-Gryder, Diana Wilcox (and Sarvis Ridge) to name a few – in addition to such celebrities as Doc Watson and The Kingston Trio.

It’s a culmination of local musicians who have once again donated time and talent to create a CD to benefit the Health and Hunger Coalition. Significant donations have already covered the entire production cost, so every penny of its $10 price will further the organization’s efforts to help relieve hardships faced by individuals and families in our community.

The CD would not have been possible without the efforts of Sunrox, which created the graphics from a photo donated by Todd Bush, as well as Scott Wynne and his engineers at Hayes School of Music and all the donors who have covered the production expenses.

How does The Kingston Trio fit into the “local” scene? Quite simply – because its long-time member, George Grove, is the brother of Joan Chater, who founded the Hunger and Health Coalition over 25 years ago.

Leslie Shavell, fundraising chair of the Hunger and Health Coalition, has worked tirelessly with Crae Morton, President of Grandfather Mountain, to coordinate both the original 2007 CD project and now the 2008 Volume 2 edition.

Sherrie Norris Shavell says, “Crae By brought this idea to the Hunger and Health Coalition last year as a way to get the community involved in feeding the hungry, and has worked many hours to make it our most successful fund raiser.“ Christmas in the Mountains Volume 2 is a great Christmas present and stocking stuffer. Music feeds the soul and your purchase will help feed the hungry.

The Hunger and Health Coalition is best known for providing food boxes to the hungry, free prescriptions, firewood, free produce, bread and prepared meals on a daily basis, as well as Snacks for Scholars (for school children) and the Dress for Success Professional Clothing Closet.

All programs are possible only through the donations of businesses and individuals who reach out to their fellow man in need.

Statistics indicate that nearly 8000 people just in Watauga County live with incomes under the national poverty level of $21,200 for families of four or more. How many more people are living in poverty who are not being counted?

These staggering statistics show why your purchases of Christmas in the Mountains CD Volume 2 will make a difference. The CD is available at various locations across the High Country The following artists offer something for everyone on the Christmas in the Mountains Volume 2 CD: Doc Watson The Kingston Trio Todd Wright Quartet Amantha Mill Jeff Little 40 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

ASU Jazz Vocal Ensemble Rumple Presbyterian Church Choir Mary C. Greene Diana and Sarvis Ridge Joe Shannon The Lost Faculties David M. Combs and Gary Prim

Buy a stocking stuffer or give a gift to your employees and feed the hungry in the mountains.

Call the Hunger and Health Coalition at 828-262-1628 or check the Web site www.hungercoalition.com for more information.

If you would like to make a donation, please send it to: Hunger and Health Coalition P.O. 1837 Boone, NC 28607 Please note on your check that it is a Christmas CD project donation.

Send questions/comments for this article to: comments@ aawmag.com.

Norma Hash –

Making Reading Easy

Article and photo by Yozette “Yogi” Collins

Ts’I a einf ayd rfo a cincpi, tod’n uoy khnit?*

Did you get that? There really is a sentence in those jumbled words, but if you’ll imagine that you cannot read, then every sentence you see may look to you like that first sentence.

Reading is a skill easy for many of us to take for granted. For most of us, reading at an early age was as involuntary as breathing. So, as we begin the holiday season, the time of year when we are reminded to think of those less fortunate than ourselves, let us consider the people around us that, for whatever reason, struggle to read.

Norma Hash of Boone is in her twentieth year doing just that by tutoring people with limited reading skills. Her interest in tutoring began in spring 1989. “My mother was in a grocery store and this man came up to her and asked her to tell him what was on the label of the meat. She realized he couldn’t read. It dawned on me that the inability to read is one of the worst handicaps you can have.”

Soon after her realization, Norma attended a workshop held by the Watauga Literacy Association teaching potential volunteers the Laubach Literacy Method, a step-by-step program using pictures and phonetics to help tutors teach adults to read. Following the workshop, Norma began tutoring her first client - a woman in her 50’s who was working to earn her GED. But, if you ask her how many clients she has had in her 20 years, she laughs and says, “I don’t have any idea.”

The good news in the United States is that our literacy rates continue to rise. Good news, too, is that in Watauga County the literacy proficiency rate, if recent statistics hold true, is slightly higher than in many other parts of the state. However, Norma stresses, there are more people than we might expect who do not read well enough to function easily in our community. Asked if there are signs to which we can be sensitive, she replies that people who struggle “are very, very good at covering it. That’s why it’s hard for us in the association to find individuals to help because they don’t want anybody to know, in a lot of cases.”

Most of the clients of the WLA can read, but their reading hovers between third- and fifth-grade levels. “When you talk about tutoring in reading,” Norma says, “it’s not necessarily those people who can’t read at all. It’s those people who can’t read sufficiently to function well in society.”

Though now retired from her job as budget director for Appalachian State University’s College of Business, for many years Norma juggled tutoring and her fulltime job. An avid reader herself, she knows the joy that reading gives and fully appreciates “the

excitement of seeing the light come on in their eyes when they realize that they can read.”

Norma felt the most personal satisfaction after tutoring prisoners at the Watauga Correctional Center before it closed in December, 1998. Believing that learning to read was necessary for potential rehabilitation of the prisoners, she adds, “I think one reason they were incarcerated was because they couldn’t function well in society.” Her husband, Herb, served as chaplain at the prison at the time. Norma attended services with him and was able to tutor prisoners through the WLA.

Did she ever feel scared since she conducted her tutoring one-on-one?

“I had been going to the chapel services with Herb and I knew a good many of the men. They called me “Mama.” I always felt safe as long as they were there. They [prison officials] never gave me anyone who would be a threat. And, I noticed, the officer walked by [the classroom] every now and then.”

Norma loves tutoring through the WLA and wants to continue “as long as they’ll let me.” But the reality is that she and other WLA tutors are giving our community an immeasurable gift.

So, Norma Hash, thank you for giving to our community-at-large and for sharing your knowledge of reading with people striving to better their reading skills. *(By the way, the sentence at the top? It’s a fine day for a picnic, don’t you think?)

Recommendations to the WLA often come from doctors whose patients cannot read their prescriptions, family members of someone struggling, or even individuals themselves looking for help. If you or someone you know would like help improving your reading skills, or are interested in tutoring, please contact Beth Mueller of the WLA to be connected with a tutor at (828) 265-2963.

Send questions/comments for Yozette to: comments@aawmag.com.

aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 41

Bringing Baby To Work

Angela McMann enjoys the unique opportunity to combine work and family

By Melanie Davis

N

ew mothers are often faced with a difficult decision concerning work and family. After six weeks of maternity leave, there can be a struggle to find appropriate childcare for a newborn. This

By Sherrie Norris separation also can make nursing a little more difficult, requiring pumps.

One local organization has gone the extra mile for their employees by implementing a “Bringing a Baby to Work” policy.

Angela McMann, mentoring specialist for the Western Youth Network, became pregnant with her first child last summer. “Over my pregnancy, it became clear to me that I have two loves in my life, my work and my family,” she said. “Fortunately, my work found a way for me to balance both.”

Executive director, Jennifer Grubb, and the rest of the WYN staff worked together to design a policy to allow staff members to bring a baby into the office for the first nine months. The practices outlined in the policy address issues such diaper disposal, nursing, fussiness and coworker consideration.

Taj McMann is now seven months old. Six weeks into his life, he began going to work. Angela said they slowly transitioned into a full 40-hour week.

Most of the time, Angela keeps her office door closed to prevent distracting her co-workers and has a sign positioned on the door when nursing to prevent causing any discomfort to those wishing to enter her office.

She admits the balance can be a challenge in allotting her attention appropriately. “It is important to respect the guidelines,” she said. “I don’t want to jeopardize bringing him with me.”

Fortunately, Taj is capable of entertaining himself. “My office looks a bit like a playhouse, but it works well for us,” she said.

Out of the more than a dozen employees of WYN, predominately female, only one other employee has children. Taj has become everyone’s first child, Angela said, though co-worker, Angela Grimes, has become a great resource for all bumps, bruises, coughs or rashes.

42 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

“We are such a close-knit group, it is a support family,” Angela said.

“Everyone also helps me be not just a mom by going to yoga or getting tea.”

Angela, an avid rock climber, has not given up her favorite pastimes.

At seven months pregnant, she was still climbing until her belly became too big for the safety harness. “What a challenge. There was a lot of extra weight to pull up a rock face,” she said, of the 50 pounds she gained during pregnancy (which she lost in one month after Taj’s birth).

One of the best effects of being able to bring Taj to work, according to Angela, has been the ability to connect through natural nursing without the use of a pump.

“I also haven’t missed anything crucial,” she added. She was there when Taj first learned to use his hands, sat up, crawled and had a real laugh.

“It is just so nice. This is all new territory for me.”

The end of the nine-month time limit of the policy is approaching.Taj will be making a transition this month to a new arrangement, though still spending time with his parents.

Angela’s husband, Josh, is a Blue Ridge Parkway employee. He is off for the winter from November to February. Taj will be able to stay at home with his father for an additional four months before going to a daycare.

Angela admits it will be a sad, hard transition, but remains grateful to WYN for the unique opportunity to have had the first seven months with Taj. “I am really lucky,” she added. “I love what I do, working with best friends and getting to bring my baby to work.”

Send questions/comments for Melanie to: comments@aawmag.com.

Appalachian Women’s Fund Helping Other Women Photo from www.appalachianwomensfund.org

mothers on how to reduce their dependence on the food bank through job searches, career and life changes.

By Cara Kelly

D

uring its Women ofVision Luncheon in June,The Appalachian Women’s Fund raised a total of $65,000, which is being distributed to nine organizations that help women in the mountains of western North Carolina.

Grant applications were made available earlier in the year to non-profit organizations throughout the area with a focus on six areas: domestic violence, homelessness, substance abuse, hunger and poverty, continued education and women’s health.

OASIS Inc. (Opposing Abuse with Services, Information and Shelter) will receive a grant for continued support groups for any woman affected by domestic violence.

Childcare will also be provided during the support groups, thanks to donated funds. The abuse hotline, which is available 24 hours a day, is supported with money donated by the Appalachian Women’s Fund (AWF).

A Safe Home for Everyone in Ashe County provides emergency communication for victims in the form of cell phones so that women may call for help if they find themselves in a violent situation. Appalachian State University professors and students also visit A Safe Home to conduct music therapy sessions with children who have been exposed to domestic violence with the help of funding from AWF. DANA (Domestic Abuse is Not Accepted in Alleghany County) can provide transitional housing for victims of domestic abuse and their children who are trying to move from the emergency shelter to a home of their own.

WAMY (Watauga, Alleghany, Mitchell and Yancey counties) can better combat hunger and poverty with a grant to be used for transportation, food and heating assistance to single mothers, distributed based on needs seen by the organization.

In the area of substance abuse, AWF has awarded a grant to Family Solutions and New River Behavioral Health. The grant will allow the organization to give seed money to single mothers after they complete the substance abuse program. Family Solutions gives $100 in the form of a savings account to mothers who have completed the program to help them move out of transitional housing to their own residence. AWF will match the $100 from Family Solutions to try to give them the extra opportunity to remain on their own.

The Hospitality House’s “Give Hope A Hand” combined capital campaign will utilize its grant for the construction of a new women’s and children’s dormitory, which will be separate from the male dormitory for the first time.

AWF will also sponsor three women in Appalachian State University’s ACCESS program, which is responsible for educating first generation university students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Lastly, the Women’s Health Services at the Community Care Clinic will use its grant to help women who do not qualify for the health department services. Women will receive mammograms, eye exams and services for diabetes, gynecological exams and dental restoration.

“Grant requests were initially set up for new and innovative programs, but what we found was that so many organizations were having a hard time simply staying open, keeping food on the shelves and manning emergency hotlines,” Cathy Williamson, member of the grand appropriation committee, said. “What I like about this group is that our hands aren’t tied by any agency so we are reaching out to the areas that aren’t covered by any larger groups.”

Although the fund’s desire was to inspire creative programming, AWF realized that with the current state of the economy and limited funds, organizations were simply trying to stay open.

The fund has moved into a new office building in the Oak Summit Office Suites in Boone.To join the organization, call (828) 264-4002 or send an e-mail to info@appalachianwomensfund.org.

Tax-deductible contributions can be sent to Appalachian Women’s Fund, P.O. Box 1838, Boone, NC 28607. For more information, visit www.appalachianwomensfund.org.

The Hunger and Health Coalition, with the support of AWF, Send questions/comments for Cara to: comments@aawmag. will be offering a new program to counsel and educate single com. aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 43

Its All About Fitness Photo by Mark Mitchell

At Westglow

Photo of Wellness Director, Marla Gentile, M.Ed.

By Melanie Davis By Sherrie Norris

brainstormed ideas to help address all the issues facing the spa’s clients and the Wellness Program was born in early 2008.The plan is comprehensive, offering seminars and workshops in stress reduction, understanding the mind/body connection, couples communication, creating balance and setting goals, self esteem, body image, self exploration, inner focus, creativity, and life enhancement.

The spiritual side of the whole body approach, Marla said, is personal to each client. The program seeks to help each person connect to his or her individual spirituality. Marla leads guided meditation focusing on mindfulness and learning to live in the moment.

“The environment of Westglow is conducive to a healthy lifestyle,” Marla said, referring not only to the spa, but also the surrounding mountains.

The area has drawn Marla over the course of several years. As a senior in high school, Marla was given a brochure for Appalachian State University.

“The attraction was there, but the opportunity was not,” she said about attending ASU. “But the area remained in my mind.”

She purchased a vacation home on Beech Mountain several years later. “One day, I said ‘Let’s stay’ and we did,” she said.

As a friend of Jamie’s, the position at Westglow felt very comfortable for Marla. She had been a personal trainer for ten years while maintaining her psychotherapy practice in Florida.

The combination of talents Marla possesses and the design of the Wellness Program fit perfectly into her dream of a helping profession, a dream she recognized early in her life and began immediately through her education in psychotherapy and fitness.

“The total wellness approach has been working in my life,” she said. “It is amazing to work with the whole person.”

The spa environment can sometimes mean clients are at resort for only one day or one week, therefore it is Marla’s goal to arm women with tools to implement on their own.

For spa members, Marla is available for ongoing counseling appointments.

From the physical aspect, a customized fitness plan is designed to obtain the desired result, be it weight management or overall fitness. That plan is printed for reference after the spa experience.

The mind and spiritual tools are hands-on educational tools to help prevent acute conditions, stress reduction tools and relaxation exercises.

For more information on the Westglow Wellness Program, visit www.westglow.com or call (800) 562-0807.

Westglow Resort and Spa has unveiled a new program focused on total wellness through the mind-body connection.

A new Wellness Program has been designed and implemented by Wellness Director, Marla Gentile, M.Ed. featuring seminars, workshops and activities for the body, mind and soul.

She is a certified personal trainer, as well as certified in fitness, Pilates and yoga instruction. Prior to her appointment with Westglow, Marla, also a licensed counselor in North Carolina, operated a psychotherapy practice in Florida for 25 years specializing in substance abuse and recovery issues. She also worked a great deal with grief therapy, relationships and women’s issues.

Marla’s expertise is now combined and available to women of the High Country through Westglow.

She explains the key is to address the person as a whole, the mind, body and spirit must all be maintained for a healthy lifestyle.

“Women take care of children and aging parents, but often fail to take care of themselves.” she said. “We need to learn to relax and nurture ourselves.”

The idea behind the Wellness Program came from Marla’s first 18 months with Westglow. “I met women who were coming to the spa for rejuvenation from a specific, stressful Send questions/comments for Melanie to: comments@ time,” she said. aawmag.com.

Together with owners Bonnie and Jamie Schaefer, she 44 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

National Hospice Month

By Yozette “Yogi” Collins

Each year the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) designates November as National Hospice Month in honor of hospice patients and the volunteers who make an impact on them and their families. The month of recognition also serves to raise awareness of hospice services available in communities around the country. Local All About Women of the High Country readers have two area hospices within easy reach: High Country Hospice, serving Watauga, Ashe and Allegheny counties, and Hospice of Avery County.

Conventional wisdom suggests that when someone “calls in hospice,” there is no hope left for the person facing a life-threatening illness, which sometimes causes patients and families to postpone hospice care. In fact, hospice is a philosophy of care with the goal of managing pain and other illness-related symptoms so the quality of the patient’s life is maximized and lived as fully as possible on their own terms. Should the patient get better or the disease go into remission, the patient can be taken out of the hospice program and can return to active treatment of the disease. With this option in mind, hospice care may be a win-win situation for someone facing the last stages of advanced illness.

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Both Hospice of Avery County and High Country Healthcare Systems Hospice are non-profit organizations funded by Medicare, Medicaid and some private insurers, as well as funds received through community donations and fundraisers. Patients are accepted into the hospice program regardless of their ability to pay, but must be referred by a doctor. With that in mind, anyone dealing with a lifelimiting illness should discuss hospice options with their doctor and let him/her know whether they are open to the option.

Hospice programs also serve people wanting support during bereavement, whether or not the deceased was a hospice patient. In this vein, High Country Hospice operates Camp Sunshine, a summer day camp for children ages 4 to 12 who have lost someone dear to them (this could even be a babysitter). The camp requires registration, but is free for participants.

Hospice programs, in general, rely heavily on their volunteers. Not only are volunteers necessary to support patients and their families, but administrative and fundraising volunteers are vital to ongoing operations. Hence, National Hospice Month exists to thank hospice volunteers for giving of themselves to so many others.

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For more information on volunteering with hospice in our area, please call either High Country Healthcare Systems Hospice at (828) 265-3926 or Hospice of Avery County at (828) 733-0663.

Send questions/comments for this article to: comments@aawmag. com.

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!

L R I G GOut Smith YOU Mar y Chesn

W

What do a soccer field, a cross-country course, a track and a gym have in common? It’s simple - Mary Chesnut Smith – an active sophomore at Avery High who spends most of her time, outside of classes, at one of those places doing what she does best.

As a freshman, she was the epitome of a student-athlete, participating in volleyball, basketball and soccer as well as cross-country, track and field.

In addition to earning three varsity letters as a freshman, she finished tenth in the state in cross-country, cutting almost 30 seconds off her previous best time and leading her team to a sixth-place finish at state finals. She was a starter on both the JV volleyball and basketball teams, the basketball team winning both conference regular season and tournament.

In the spring, she was a starter on the varsity soccer team, earning the Offensive Player of the Year award as the second leading scorer and also being an assist leader; in addition, she garnered All Region honors.

As a member of the Varsity Track team, she won the 800 meters, placed second in the mile and fourth in the two mile at the Western Regional Meet. Mary Chesnut also qualified in all three events for the state meet, where she placed fourth in the mile, turning in a time of 5:32, a new personal record. She also finished fourth in the 800 meters, just off her season’s best time of 2:27. She qualified for the 3200 meters, but didn’t compete at state.

If that were not enough to keep her busy, Mary Chesnut was elected to the Student Government Association and helped with its varied

projects throughout the year. Academically, Smith finished the year at the

top of her class. She has been active in her church, helping in the nursery, and attends a weekly Bible Study. Having skied competitively, she turned that skill into a job, teaching skiing the last two winters to young skiers at Beech Mountain. This past summer, she worked at a garden center. Her favorite task was making arrangements for special events.

For fun, she loves creating things, whether it’s arts and crafts, sewing or photography. Her mother tells us, “Give her a good book and she will disappear for hours reading.” Mary Chesnut hopes to go into architecture or interior design.

Given her love for soccer and running, Mary Chesnut participated in several post season cross-country races, finishing the season after Thanksgiving at the South Regional Foot Locker Cross-Country races in Charlotte. For the fifth year in a row, she finished on the All South Team.

This past year, she cut another 32 seconds off her best time, finishing in 20:01. She hopes to break 20 minutes in the 5K distance this year. She won two events at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, and has run the Bear, a 5-mile hill climb since she was 10. For seven seasons, Mary Chesnut has played club soccer with HCSA.This August, at the Furniture City Classic Tournament, Mary Chesnut’s team was a finalist. She was awarded the Overall Golden Boot Award for the tournament, being the highest scorer in the tournament in all divisions. She scored 5 goals and had 8 assists. Since then, her Under 16 team has won 8 of 9 games and will move up to the next level of play. She is a co-captain of the team, which consists of girls from four counties and is enjoying playing with a great group of talented girls.Winning makes it even more exciting, she admits.

Mary Chesnut would like to continue her athletic career at the next 46 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

level in soccer or track. Avery High School soccer coach, Tom Evaul, says “I see her playing at the next level at any college level she chooses to play. Not only is her athleticism amazing to me, but to be able to do what she does on the court or the field and still maintain such a high level of academics is truly remarkable and noteworthy. And both of these aspects just seem to come so natural to her.”

Head women’s basketball coach, Missy Lyons, says “Adjectives that describe Mary Chesnut are dedicated, coachable, hard working. She gives that extra effort, that extra mile every day in practice and in game situations.

She leads by example and keeps a positive attitude. She is wise and mature for her age. She will have a successful career and future because she knows what it means to set a goal and to work towards that goal.”

Avery Journal-Times sports editor, Jamie Shell, states, “At such a young age, Mary Chestnut appears to have all the tools for success, both on the field and in the classroom. She has great skills, from speed to endurance to hand/eye coordination and the ability to quickly adapt to whatever sport she participates in. She has the rare ability to reach down inside herself and compete in such circumstances without complaint or seemingly any dropoff in production, something every coach desperately seeks in a member of their team.”

It has also been said that she appears to be the kind of teammate who

leads by example, and works as hard or harder than anyone else, teammate or opponent, and strives to be the best she can be at whatever she is doing - running a race, taking a class, playing a game.

Her various coaches have nothing but glowing positive statements about Mary Chesnut, often first regarding her character and the type of person she is, then marveling at her physical and athletic abilities.

They also say that Mary Chesnut is an extremely gifted athlete at a number of sports.The meets and sports she competes in are often against difficult competition, but because of her work ethic, she appears to make them look easy.

A family friend, closely involved in Mary Chesnut’s life shares, “She has been blessed with many fine attributes and has worked hard to fully realize them. First of all, she is very pretty and that is something she doesn’t even have to work on; happily, it just is. Also, she has a good brain and she exercises it regularly at school. Speaking of exercise, she is athletic and she is diligent about keeping herself fit for her sports pursuits.”

Yet another close associate shares, “Those outward things are measurable by a mirror, a report card and track records, but she also has inner strengths. I see Mary Chesnut as having her eye on the bigger picture for her life. It can be bewildering at 15 years of age to scan the horizon and consider where you might belong in the grand scheme of life, but I think she plans to prepare herself academically, morally, socially--so that she will be equipped for a fulfilling future.”

Mary Chesnut is the youngest of the four children of Paul and Serena Smith of Banner Elk. Her brothers, Douglas and Nathaniel, ran track at UNC-CH and her sister Katharine played soccer and tennis at LMC. Send questions/comments for this article to: comments@aawmag.com.

aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 47

the Runway to the Airway

Photo by Sherrie Norris

Cindy Baucom: From

Cindy Baucom (right) with husband Terry at 2008 IBMA awards night in Nashville, which she co-produced.

By Sherrie Norris Having made her hometown proud, Ashe County native, Cindy (Brooks) Baucom, is recognized today as the female voice of bluegrass music. She’s heard on 70 radio stations coast-to-coast weekly through her popular syndicated radio show, “Knee Deep in Bluegrass.”

Cindy has come a long way since the mid-‘80s when, at the age of 17, she began producing and hosting a bluegrass show after school on Mondays and Tuesdays at WKSK in West Jefferson. Apparently, those in the business did not think she needed to go to broadcasting school as she had planned to do. In retrospect, she realizes the importance of hands-on experience and says she “owes a lot” to her coworkers from her first job who helped her and believed in her abilities.

Fast forward to 2005 when she was named Broadcaster of the Year in Nashville by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) - “an honor of a lifetime,” she says.

She currently serves on the IBMA Board of Directors as member of the Education Committee and chair of the membership committee.

On Oct. 2, 2008, Cindy actually produced the 2008 IBMA Awards Show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville – the biggest and “bluest” night of the year for the industry -- showcasing every top-billed bluegrass entertainer in the business today.

“It was really neat to call people like Ricky Scaggs and ask him to be on the show and then, on that night, to see it all come together – months of planning with the highest achievers in the industry surrounded by their fans and affiliates – all in one place.Wow! I can’t describe what it all means to me! ”

No small feat for a country girl who says her love for the music began to take shape early in life. “My father, a bluegrass musician and instrument builder, always had the music playing in the house or in the car, and frequently had band practices at our home as I was growing up.

As a child, I attended fiddlers’ conventions and bluegrass festivals, giving [me] the opportunity to hear some of the best music anywhere.” More importantly, she stresses, were the many life-long friendships she made.

Over the years, her love for and knowledge of the music, as well as her outgoing personality and public speaking abilities, won her favor in the industry. She quickly became a highly sought-after emcee for many top events including Merlefest, (she has been affiliated since its beginning, missing only one year since), Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Bluegrass Festival, Bass Mountain Bluegrass Festival, the IBMA FanFest in Nashville, and many others. She also has been a contributor to Bluegrass 48 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

She’s Still the Queen

Unlimited magazine as both a writer and photographer.

Cindy tells us, “I have loved to sing as long as I can remember.

When I was 14, I started playing guitar and, shortly after that, I learned to play acoustic bass.” (Her “very patient” husband, award-winning musician Terry Baucom most recently has been working with her on banjo.)

Cindy has performed locally and regionally with a number of bands through the years, including Dixie Dawn, the popular Shadrack’s house band of the ‘80s, where many in the area probably saw her for the first time.

Cindy was no stranger to the stage in another way, as well, in those earlier years. A graduate of Beaver Creek High School, Cindy was the 1987 Miss High Country and represented the counties of Ashe, Alleghany and Watauga in the 1987 Miss North Carolina Pageant in Raleigh. During her reign as Miss High Country, personal appearances and performing opportunities included the opening ceremonies of High Country Host Visitor Center in Boone. A favorite memory of that event includes posing for a picture with NC Governor, James G. Martin.

After working at the Ashe radio station, Cindy moved on to North Wilkesboro’s WKBC AM & FM for eight years as program director and host of both the morning and the bluegrass shows. “At the end of 1995, I was hired at WFMX Radio 105.7 in Statesville and worked there until 2004.While there, I was offered a position with Premiere Radio producing and hosting a syndicated Bluegrass Show, “Knee-Deep In Bluegrass,” which went on the air in July 2003 and is now70-plus stations strong. Distributed by the John Boy & Billy Radio Network in Charlotte, the two-hour weekly show is heard from Wilkesboro to Wyoming and everywhere in between.

Cindy is fascinated by how music has been affected by advancements in technology through the years “from vinyl to cassette and now so easily accessible on the hard-drive.” She remembers her first CD, in the early ‘80s, was a Judds’ project.

Whether chatting with “homefolks” while serving as emcee at venues like the recent High Country Bluegrass Festival in Boone, or with top executives and entertainers at the IBMA celebrations in Nashville, Cindy Baucom with her broad smile and glistening eyes is just who she is -- a country gal, a wife, a daughter and a mother of three -- who has risen to the top and never forgot who she was along the way.

At the Boone festival, her parents, Jim and Mary Brooks, proudly watched as their middle child (and only daughter) once again had the audience wrapped around her little finger. Her husband, a musician known across the country and beyond as master of the banjo, was never far from her side.

Because Cindy and Terry both have successful careers in the music and entertainment business, much of their time is spent at concerts and festivals. “We are truly blessed to be able to make our living doing what we are passionate about,” she states, but they make sure that family time doesn’t get tuned out. “We love our time at home. Not only is Terry a great musician and husband, he’s also a wonderful stepfather to my children.We all love him.”

Those three “smart, beautiful, athletic, talented, polite and loving children” of whom she speaks every chance she gets, are Houston, Molly and Hunter. “And I love them very much.”

If you’re searching for Cindy Baucom, chances are you will find her somewhere “Knee Deep in Bluegrass” and she’s only a click away. For more information about Cindy Baucom, visit the following website: www.kneedeepinbluegrass.com or www.myspace.com/kneedeepinbluegrass Send questions/comments for Sherrie to comments@aawmag.com.

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Pet Page| By Genevieve Austin

“

Thanks for Giving

”

Photos courtesty of Genevieve Austin

“Thanks for giving” expresses gratitude among humankind.The beauty comes not only from giving, but also in the form of appreciation expressed by the recipient.While pets might not give a nod or write thank you notes, there are unexplainable bonds between pets and humans that say it all.

While I’ve met animal experts who authoritatively report that animals do not express love, my heart and life experience tell me differently.

Some relationships, as in the case of Abby and Glenda, seem destined.

Glenda Stanberry gives thanks to her former boss, Glynda Valentine, and God for bringing her loving miniature schnauzer, Abby, into her life.

Glenda had lost a nine-year-old Yorkie while working for Valentine, another proclaimed animal lover. The loss of Glenda’s little friend left her so distraught that she visited the dog’s grave daily and had difficulty recovering from her grief.

Upon learning of a litter of four miniature schnauzer puppies,Valentine prompted Glenda to look at them.The owner of the litter told her one of the puppies was very shy and kept to itself.The first time Glenda saw the puppies, the shy one peeked out and meandered straight to her. During her visit, this shy little female approached Glenda and sat in her lap. The owner was astonished. She told Glenda this puppy hadn’t done that with anyone. During two more visits, the little shy puppy greeted her, again by crawling into her lap. The owner told Glenda whether she wanted that puppy or not, that the puppy had already adopted her! Glenda happily agreed. Her “miniature self” has been the princess of the roost ever since.

While Glenda found her extremely easy to train, Abby developed complicated medical problems. Glenda is a hardworking mother and wife, a daughter who helps her siblings care for their ailing father. She and her husband, Mike, create beautiful quilts and she is a housekeeping supervisor at a prestigious spa where duty calls day or night. Glenda’s life is full, hectic and bountiful.

From the first day of their life together, Glenda says Abby’s spirit has been bright while she perpetually brightens Glenda’s moments. Abby’s medical problems mysteriously began to appear when she was between 2 and 3 years old - chronic digestive problems accompanied with fecal blood.A series of veterinary hospital visits ensued. Medication seemed to improve her situation mildly, but finding the problem became an unsolved 50 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

mystery that was heartbreaking for Glenda and her family, while wearing on Abby’s petite body. One veterinarian told Glenda that nothing else could be done and implied that Abby would die soon.

Glenda sought other options. The vet knew of an emergency animal clinic in Hickory to which Glenda immediately took Abby. After examination, the clinic admitted her. One-hour-a-day visiting restrictions found Glenda making daily trips from Boone to Hickory to spend precious time with Abby. After the first day, the vet called Glenda with suspicions about Abby’s diagnosis. An MRI and extensive blood tests narrowed the possibilities and confirmed Cushing’s Disease, which interfered with her pituitary gland’s ability to function, inhibiting her body from producing blood platelets. The clinic administered blood platelets.

Abby was prescribed four medications and a special diet. After dramatic improvement, she was weaned to one medication and remains on the diet.

Glenda smiles and says, “She lives a very happy life now,” casually admitting that Abby rules the house.“If Abby wants the recliner, we get off the recliner and let her have it.” Glenda laughs and says,“Abby gets Abby’s way and she knows it. She’s the most loving little dog you can imagine.”

Glenda had heart surgery and said that, during her recovery,Abby sat either on her or next to her and whimpered. Glenda assured her she was going to get better. Glenda recovered beautifully from her surgery and keeps a healthy heart, a healthy outlook and a healthy lifestyle. “The first thing I do in the morning and he last thing at night, I go on a walk with

Abby--rain, snow, sleet or shine. If it’s late and it’s dark outside -- well, we just get the flashlight and go.”

A frightening 24-hour period passed when a dog groomer accidentally let Abby out and she was lost. Glenda and Mike searched for her and Glenda told Mike to take off his flannel shirt and leave it on the ground.

She’d hoped Abby would smell it and stay with the shirt. Soon afterward, a workman found Abby right next to the shirt. Glenda is thankful for every day that she and Abby share. “On my worst days and on my best days, Abby always makes me smile.”

If she could, Abby would say to Glenda, “Thanks for giving me a chance.” But likewise, Glenda can say the same thing.

Send questions/comments for Genevieve to comments@aawmag.com.

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aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 51

Cent$ & Sensibility| BY CORRINNE LOUCKS

PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE WITH AN INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNT In a volatile financial market such as we’ve seen over the past few weeks (and months!), many people are wishing they had more control over their own finances. Of course, it’s easy to blame our stockbrokers or financial planners for the state of our accounts, but the truth is, we should - and can - have some control over our own net worth and that of future generations. One way to do that is to manage our own Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) rather than to entrust the money we invest in our future to someone else. This month, we will cover the advantages of investing in IRAs and, next month, we’ll explore ways in which we can self-direct our own investing via IRA funds.

An IRA is basically a savings account in which to “grow” retirement money. Why should we have one? The Social Security Administration’s most recent trustee report states that Social Security will begin to run a negative cash flow by the year 2017 and by the year 2040 will not be able to pay full benefits. Add to this a weakening economy and gross (literally) national debt and it’s easy to discern the need to plan for our financial future now. The government created Traditional IRA in 1974 to help us do just that. Frankly, any opportunity the government gives us to save money tax free or tax deferred is one that shouldn’t be missed!

The # 1 benefit of an IRA: It grows tax-free and tax-deferred, and compounds over time, maximizing your ability to grow wealth.

A. The money contributed to an IRA is before taxes (provided owner doesn’t exceed certain set contribution limits) and the interest earned will not be taxed until you start drawing from your IRA – at age 59 1/2 or older. Anyone 70 ½ or younger who brings in “earned income” is eligible to invest in an IRA. The current contribution limit for Traditional IRAs is $5,000 up to age 49 and $6,000 if you’re age 50 or older. Remember, these are top-end limits. Any amount invested will help provide a more comfortable future. Other restrictions apply if you’re covered by a retirement plan at work.

B. Compound interest means earning interest on your original investment, plus on the interest accumulated on the original sum.

For example, at age 25 you take the $4 you spend each day for coffee and put it towards retirement.That’s $121 a month.At 9% compounding interest each year, you would have $23,415 after 10 years, $221,520 after 20 years and after 30 years, when you are 65, you’d have an amazing $566,440!

IRA Advantage #2: Large tax deductions – up to $51,000!

Certain IRAs allow you to reduce your taxable income today while saving for your future. For example, if you contribute $5,000 to an individual Traditional IRA this year and meet qualified income levels, you are eligible for a $5,000 tax deduction when filing your return.

Depending on the type of plan, you could be eligible for up to a $51,000 tax deduction!

IRA Advantage #3: IRA assets are protected from creditors.

IRAs are afforded protection under federal bankruptcy law and are thus generally shielded from creditors in bankruptcy proceedings.

IRA Advantage #4: Create wealth for future generations.

Certain IRAs allow you to pass your money on to beneficiaries after death, while at the same time avoiding taxes. You can bless your family’s financial future with smart IRA estate planning that will leave your valuable IRA assets to your family without them having to pay taxes!

In addition to the Traditional IRA described above, you also have the option of investing in a Roth IRA. With a Roth, there are no immediate tax breaks, but your contributions grow tax-deferred and can be taken out tax-free. In other words, the money you put in to your Roth IRA has already been taxed, therefore, will not be taxed again when you withdraw the funds. This is a smart solution if you expect to be in a higher income and tax bracket in the future.

There are many different types of IRAs and government-sponsored small business retirement plans to choose from. Each has unique tax advantages designed to help you save money for your future and the future of your loved ones.

It’s best to seek professional advice from your financial planner or accountant in order to determine the right plan for you. Then, start saving today for your future!

Next Month: Self-directed IRAs Send questions/comments for Corrinne to comments@aawmag.com.

52 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

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Mom’s World| Clipart.com image

By Heather W. Jordan, CNM, MSN

Thanks for Giving

Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day.

--Robert Caspar Lintner

I

n our culture, we like to take time to acknowledge events, people, and even emotions. We celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence; honor our veterans; pay tribute to our mothers, fathers, grandparents; and delight our sweethearts.

As Americans, this setting aside of a specific day for each of these events or people has its strengths and its drawbacks.To be sure, there are certainly people who would not take the time to send a card, make a phone call, or make known the importance of other loved ones without that Hallmark cue that it is that time of the year.We start seeing the decorations, candy, and cards well in advance, prodding us to buy, buy, buy more and more tokens of our true love for the dated celebration. “Only 52 more shopping days to Christmas.” “One week from Sunday is Mother’s Day,” “Open 24 hours for you last minute shoppers.”

If we do take these cues from the massive commercial industry that relies on the materialism embedded in such marketing, we certainly may feel like we’ve done our duty. But have we actually forgotten the point, the meaning behind why some person or group of people felt the need to make the calendar tribute when they did? I’m sure that many of us have had this feeling when we feel the pressure of getting a gift for everyone we can possibly think of at Christmastime, not wanting to risk the embarrassment of being too cheap or not being as thoughtful of someone else, as they were for us.

Then you have Thanksgiving--a holiday that brings you back to the importance of recognizing our blessings in concrete and abstract.

Sure, there are still the prompts to buy the tablecloth with fall color, or create the endless menu of foods, or make the most fantastic displays of mums or colorful gourds. But, really, the emphasis does seem to be in the right place.

Thanksgiving is about taking time out with our families, enjoying a feast, and hopefully letting our minds focus on all the things we are blessed to have and not on all the things we want. Contemplating what we want certainly occupies the greater portion of our waking life from childhood on to adulthood. Kids learn quickly what it is they want to get by virtue of the endless advertising that spills over from movies to books to cereal boxes to fast food trinkets. Sometimes the birthday or Christmas has just passed, and already the new wish list is being formed. It certainly requires a conscientious effort to block out the hype and take stock of what we really have.

As we do so, it would behoove us also to consider what we are willing to give. Giving is, after all, at the center of many eastern religions and of course is a solid foundation for Christianity as well. Sometimes what we choose to give is half-hearted and barely missed; but if we really focus on those moments and gifts, which we have received that 54• NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

moved us, we are likely to head in the right direction. It may have been as simple as a night out (without children) or a home-cooked meal.

Maybe it was the surprise party or the five-hour drive to come assist with moving that inspires a reflexive action to give back. When our emotions are true, our hearts open, and our minds pure, giving is absolutely the best feeling on the planet. This tenet is evident in the excerpted writing on Buddhist beliefs by a person by the name of Atisha who wrote: The greatest achievement is selflessness.

The greatest worth is self-mastery.

The greatest quality is seeking to serve others.

The greatest precept is continual awareness.

The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything.

The greatest action is not conforming with the world’s ways.

The greatest magic is transmuting the passions.

The greatest generosity is non-attachment.

The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind.

The greatest patience is humility.

The greatest effort is not concerned with the results.

The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go.

The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances.

It is ironic that in letting go of our “stuff,” in “non-attaching” from the material world, one might say that we can learn the wealth inherent in a devotion to giving. Likewise, if you consider the role of Christ in Christianity, there is glory in selflessness and spiritual growth in the renouncing of material wealth. What beauty exists in these concepts that are at the heart of Thanksgiving and how joyful to realize this beauty does not require purchases of cards or other memorabilia.

Instead, it requires that we simply wrap our arms around all those close to us and draw them in, with a commitment to give thanks for all of our blessings. And this, as Lintner wrote, need not be “shut up in one day,” but rather should be present each and every day that we breathe.

Ralph Waldo Emerson sums up the many things for which we should all give thanks when he wrote, “For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends.”

Send questions/comments for Heather to: comments@aawmag.com.

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Pat Beaver…

A Woman with One Eye on the Past,

Looking Bravely into the Future

Article and photo by Heather Young Pat Beaver became an anthropologist to study the diversity of human cultures, and during her tenure at Appalachian State University, she has discovered a community rich in history right here in the High Country.

In a world where many rural populations are quickly disappearing, Pat has been instrumental in preserving our Appalachian heritage through her work at ASU, at the Center for Appalachian Studies, and with the Farm City Banquet committee.

Pat, who is a North Carolina native, received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Duke University. She then went on the teach at NC State University, where she met her husband, bluegrass musician, Bob White, before settling in Boone and accepting a position in the Anthropology department at ASU.

Pat quickly became enamored of the rural areas and populations she studied and soon became involved in the unfolding new field called Appalachian Studies, serving as the founding director of the Center for Appalachian Studies at ASU. Although she found great satisfaction working in rural Photo of Pat Beaver Appalachia, helping to record and save the unique communities with their rich histories, Pat soon yearned for a new challenge. Beaver says, “I looked around and realized that although I studied anthropology in order to see and experience and learn from the study of other cultures, I had really spent little time out of North Carolina—I had never really been anywhere!”

Fortunately, just when Pat was seeking something new and fresh,ASU was launching its China exchange program. Beaver recalls,“I took my infant daughter to a presentation of slides on China and sat in fascination, and I thought,‘What do I know about China? Nothing!’” Eager to experience life outside of NC, Pat and Bob spent the next two years preparing to live and work in China during their 1983-1984 year abroad.

After returning from China in 1984, refreshed and invigorated, Beaver stepped into the role of chair of the Anthropology department.

And, wanting to share her newfound interest in China, she began working with faculty across the campus to develop an Asian Studies program. The program was very successful, and Pat and family returned to China for a second exchange year in 1990-1991.

After returning to Boone in 1991, and informed by a second year in Asia, Beaver longed to revisit her research on the region in which she lived and worked, but she wondered what new questions needed to be asked of old scholarship. Pat soon realized that while the Scotch-Irish and German settlements were richly described, there was little recognition of the region’s diversity.“The region has much complexity, as diverse peoples have met at the cross roads to exchange knowledge, skills, resources, music, and shape the future. Especially missing were accounts of African-Americans, who were present in the region with the first European explorers, yet largely invisible in the history books. Later migrants were also missing from the records: late nineteenth century Jews whose presence was so important in western North Carolina, and twentieth century immigrants, including Greeks, and later Asians, and recently Hispanics.”

As she considered how to best make others aware of the diversity in Western North Carolina, Pat had the opportunity to work with Noah Adams (from NPR’s All Things Considered) when he came to visit in 56 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

1998, as he was working on his book on the New River. Beaver says, “I took Noah to meet several people whom he interviewed, and one day, high up on Snake Mountain, near Pottertown Gap, it dawned on me that I was witness to the likelihood of radical changes in the north fork headwaters of the New River and I should focus my teaching and research right here – at home in Watauga and Ashe counties. This is what I’ve done for the past decade. In the meantime, I have had the opportunities to be more engaged with the community around me through a variety of committees and organizations.”

As part of her commitment to community and organizations, Pat again assumed the directorship of the Center for Appalachian Studies. Under Pat’s guidance, the center has grown considerably, adding concentrations in Sustainable Development and Appalachian Music. They have also just completed a National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge grant, in collaboration with Carol G. Belk Library’s W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection and the Appalachian Cultural Museum, which will provide endowment funds to help support student scholarship, student and faculty research, community engagement, and study abroad opportunities.

More recently, Pat has been privileged to work with the Farm City Banquet committee (this year as chair), which recognizes volunteerism, women in agriculture, organizations that have benefited the community, individuals or organizations that benefited local agriculture & agri-tourism and more. Beaver observes: “Farm-City celebrates the best of what we are - on the farms in our rural communities, in town, and on the ASU campus. And of course the best part has been working with Sue Counts, the remarkable dynamic staff of NC Cooperative Extension, and the creative committee of volunteers. Sue’s steady, good natured, well organized, consistent, and above all, her visionary leadership has brought together a remarkable staff and diverse members of our community in seeking common goals which have everything to do with the well-being of our region and with our future.”

Over the past few years, Farm City has gradually moved toward supporting local growers by using local foods at their annual banquet that serves 250. Furthermore, the banquet has moved toward a zero waste policy, setting the example that we can come together in Watauga County, have great events celebrating our farmers and everyone who relies on food on a daily basis, eat well, and not break the bank. Beaver notes that this year, the 53rd year of Farm City, the agricultural community faces new economic and energy challenges that are global in scale and locally felt, making it even more important that we find new ways of supporting growers in the county and making healthy local foods available to everyone.

As Pat Beaver continues to research, experience and preserve rural communities in Western North Carolina, she will keep one eye on the past while she looks bravely to the future.

Send questions/comments for Heather Young to: comments@aawmag.com

Because Give…

Photo by Cara Kelly

Others

By Cara Kelly

I

t’s a place in which a woman can shop, choose a special outfit at no cost, and walk away with the confidence she needs for that longawaited interview for the job that she so desperately needs to help keep her family clothed and fed.

It’s the same place where another woman, having sorted through her closet and realized she can’t possibly wear everything she owns, can walk in, arms loaded with beautiful and gently-worn dresses, suits, shoes and accessories, and walk away a few minutes later knowing that she has helped make a dream come true for a less-fortunate female.

That’s the way it is at the Professional Clothes Closet, one of many programs sponsored by the Hunger and Health Coalition of Boone.

In addition to programs which help community members stay healthy and adequately nourished, the agency’s relatively new clothing program keeps their job-seeking customers looking and feeling their best.

The Professional Clothes Closet is available for women (and men) in the community who can’t factor expensive, work-appropriate clothing into limited budgets.

“Already on a tight budget, our clients are worried about getting clothes for their children, so getting clothes for themselves is not a priority,” Executive Director Compton Fortuna said. “When someone is worried about putting food on the table, going out and buying a new suit is not an option.”

The Closet was formed two years ago, after a few retired female members of the agency’s board of directors realized they no longer needed their professional wardrobes. Desiring that their quality clothing be put to good use rather than sold for a few dollars at a secondhand store, the women decided they could provide a valuable service for younger women in the High Country who are embarking on new careers.

“Women know the importance of, and the difference that can be made externally and internally, with nice clothes,” Fortuna stated. “It is empowering for them to have confidence in the way they dress and, if they feel like they can do it, they can make a change.”

The Professional Clothes Closet is an appropriate asset to the agency, as it helps people down on their luck remain or regain self-sufficiency and improve their circumstances.

“A lot of what we do is try to eliminate barriers that prevent a better life.” Fortuna said. “It would just be awful if your barrier was not having the proper clothing.”

Professional Clothes Closet is The First Step to Success For Many Women

The program is designed to enable local women and men to obtain clothing suitable for interviews, but is open to help anyone who needs it. Generally, three outfits can be chosen twice a year, but Fortuna said the program is “pretty flexible,” allowing the staff to work with people in special situations.

The Closet has the necessities for helping build a full wardrobe, including belts, shoes, pocketbooks, ties, coats, blazers, dress pants, dresses and jewelry.

“It is like going shopping, and everyone loves to shop,” Fortuna said.

The Closet is locked during the day, but staff can open it at any time during their standard business hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Referrals from other agencies in the area are suggested, but not absolutely necessary.

“If we are working with people looking for jobs, they can basically refer themselves.”

Several other non-profit agencies regularly send clients to the Professional Clothing Closet, including OASIS, Inc. and the Hospitality House.

The New Opportunity School for Women at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk is another group that utilizes the Closet. The residential program helps Appalachian women improve their lives and circumstances through education and improvement in self-esteem. Lori Sliwa, director, accompanied the program’s eight most recent “graduates” to the Professional Clothes Closet on July 25, the day before their “big day” to choose clothing for future interviews and careers.

“I cannot say enough about the Closet,” Sliwa said. “It is a great partnership back and forth and serves the same demographic area.

Some of their women don’t know about us, but it works very well and makes perfect sense.”

The Closet has been filled with donations from community members, which are not only appreciated, but are necessary to the service’s ongoing success.

With many quality pieces already filling the racks,“younger” items are in high demand. With many clients - young women and mothers - looking for better jobs, the Hunger and Health Coalition constantly needs modern and age-appropriate articles for those “20-something” females.

Donations can be dropped off at any time during regular business hours. “Shopping” appointments may be arranged by calling the Health and Hunger Coalition at (828) 262-1628.

Send comments or questions for Cara to: comments@aawmag.com. aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 57

Clipart.com image

Your Home| By Corrinne Loucks

GETTING YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER:

Selling For The Most Money In The Least Amount of Time

S

o you say you’d like to sell your home for the most money in the least amount of time? Join the party! Sellers are redefining how much is “most” and how long is “least amount of time” in today’s buyer’s market.

Wondering how to make your home stand out among the many with “For Sale” signs in their yards? An intentional and professional “sprucing up” of your property will get the buyer’s attention and make yours the home they want to call their own.

Your first priority is “curb appeal.” If you are hearing explanations such as, “We don’t like the neighborhood” or “It’s not really what we’re looking for” and the buyers are changing their viewing appointments to “drive-bys,” they are most likely not impressed with the exterior and do not feel it worth their time to get out of the car and go inside. Make sure that the entranceway to your home is inviting - the yard mowed, bushes trimmed, walkways clean and cleared, and house numbers visible. Paint any chipping or peeling doors, window trim, etc., and add a little decoration near the doorway - a chair with an attractive pot of red and/or yellow flowers. Both colors incite quicker decisions and buying instincts. (Think McDonalds!) You’ve heard that people develop first impressions in the first two seconds of meeting someone - The same goes for your home.

Speaking of which . . . you need to change your mindset now to think of “the house” instead of “your home.” It is a commodity, a product to be sold. Remind yourself that the house will soon belong to someone else - work on minimizing the emotions involved in selling it. Say “goodbye” to each room and picture yourself handing the keys over to the new owners at the closing table. Get excited about your move and your future!

Now that you’ve cleared the emotional clutter, let’s move to the inside of the house. The cliché, “If you haven’t used it in a year, you probably don’t need it,” goes for clutter, not just clothing! This is a great time to give away, throw away, or sell items you no longer use.

At the same time, remove personal items from the home - books, trophies, family photos, knick-knacks, family keepsakes, etc. Potential buyers should not be able to tell anything about the people who live in the house.They should be free to envision their own items and photographs on the shelves . . . and it might be difficult with other people’s “stuff” around. Cleared kitchen and bathroom counters are of utmost importance. (This will be a great time to get a head start on your packing!)

Can’t bear to part with something? Rent a storage unit and hide it away. Homes show better with minimal furniture. Remove extra end tables, magazine racks, file cabinets, chairs, etc., that are not essential to the function of the room. Box up those books and knick-knacks that you remove and store them away. This is also the time to remove anything “fixed” or “attached” that you don’t want to sell with the house, 58 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

such as window coverings, chandeliers, or that old freezer in the basement that may become a bone of contention if the buyer saw it and wanted it before it was moved. If you can’t bear to part with the dahlias grown from bulbs that the little old lady down the hill saved from her grandmother’s garden in Shelby – dig them up now for next year in your new garden!

How much should you spend in preparing your house for sale? As little as possible. A few minor and inexpensive repairs or upgrades will tell potential buyers that this house has been well cared for and can make thousands of dollars’ worth of difference in the money you ultimately make from its sale. Repair or replace any broken (or hideous) cabinet doors, handles, hinges or drawers. Repair any doors that rub or closet doors that won’t open or close properly. Replace any broken windows, ripped screens, even blown light bulbs. Check for leaks or any signs of moisture in the house and repair related issues. Patch any cracks or holes in the walls and abide by the age-old “neutral paint” rule.

A $30 gallon of paint can make the entire difference between receiving an offer on the house or its being eliminated because the bathroom is Pepto Bismol pink. Don’t be afraid to seek advice from your realtor as to what improvements need to be made to fulfill buyers’ expectations in your neighborhood.

Lastly, clean the house to “move-in” condition. Think how you would like it to look if you’d just pulled up in the moving van and opened the front door for the first time.Are the windows sparkling? Are carpets and flooring worthy of a family picnic? Can you see your smiling self in the kitchen and bathroom faucets and mirrors? Are furniture, ceiling fans and light fixtures dust free and looking like a showroom? Of course, it is unrealistic to think that your home could look like this 24/7, but it definitely can just minutes before a prospective buyer walks through the door.

Arrange with your realtor for advanced notice on showings, or leave the house in tip-top shape when leaving for work in the morning. Make sure anything that looks worn is removed, including towels, throw rugs and bedspreads. If they are your favorites, they’ll be waiting for you in your new storage unit!

Scrutinize the house from a buyer’s point of view. When you drive up to the house, does it look warm and inviting? Have the owners (you) maintained it well and kept it clean and lovely? Does each room allow for easy movement? Is the function of each room easily identified? What emotions do the rooms invoke? What about the house as a whole? Does it look like it’s ready for someone to move right in?

You’ve answered, “Yes,” to these questions? Perfect! You’ve achieved your goal and your new buyers will feel right at home.

Send questions/comments for Corrinne to: comments@aawmag.com.

Following Your Creative Heart, Turning Your Artistic Talents to Success

By Independent Artist/Designer, Stephanie DeJoseph Lee

Perhaps you’ve discovered your artistic talent. Have you thought about becoming successful and profitable while enjoying something you love?

Through this column, I want to help you become successful at your craft while sharing about my personal growth in my own desire to be a small business owner.

As a local independent designing artist, I graduated from ASU in 2003 with an interior design degree, as well as a passion to design products. I have always been creative, but my earliest memories of creativity were when my parents decided to sell our television in our yard sale. Needless to say, I was devastated but got over it as soon as I found that my sisters and I could be creative.

I decided to let my mother teach me her sewing and embroidery techniques, which cultivated my interest and skill, upon which I have since embellished and expanded.

While in college, I discovered my passion for all things related to creativity and designing. I began making handbags, accessories, and anything else someone needed. Late nights sewing in my dorm room resulted in purse parties for other women in the dorms.

Years have passed since, but I continued to sew and sell to local businesses and people with whom I come in contact. I now have a business Web site, retail booth at ArtWalk Gallery, several other online retail venues, and donate to local functions as a way to introduce my work to the community. I enjoy creating products that are functional and also make an artistic statement. I design all the pieces from sketches and then formulate patterns for them to develop a prototype.

If, like me, you want to be your own boss and work independently at something for which you have a passion, don’t give up, but remember it might not come easy.

In the beginning, I did start creating different items just as a hobby and loved it. I loved it so much that I wanted it to be my job.

Looking for a response to my creations is where I started. I began making handbags as one of the primary pieces and had one for every outfit I wore. I sported them around town, on campus, and at work. I paid attention to how people reacted and to the comments I received. Feeling like there was enough positive response, I began making the purses more as gifts for friends and family. I also began calling on local boutiques and retail venues that seemed like a good fit for my merchandise. I then realized that I had to go backwards and create a business plan before I moved forward with anything else.

If you have a hobby that you love and want to pursue it as a business, I would suggest you write everything down on paper.

Begin by freely writing your ideas and thoughts, then document your goals, and plan for exactly what you would want to do. Having a solid business plan is a stepping-stone to your next objective. There are plenty of local and national organizations that will help in small business planning and finances.

Following is a list of questions that might prompt some thought: 1. Is there a strong market for this type of product?

2. Do I have a product that is sellable?

3. How much financial backing will I need to get the supplies to make these products?

4. Where will I sell these products? Internet or brick/ mortar shop?

5. Am I passionate about my craft?

6. Am I prepared to produce large quantities if the demand is there?

These questions should trigger some ideas to help you move in the right direction in forming a small business. Most of all, it is important to remain true to your craft and to continue to be passionate about it.

Send questions/comments for Stephanie to: comments@aawmag. com.

aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 59

Entertainment Suggestions| Courtesy of Black Bear Books Serena By: Ron Rash The year is 1919, and newlyweds George and Serena Pemberton travel from Boston to the North Carolina mountains where they plan to create a timber empire. Although George has already lived in the camp long enough to father an illegitimate child, Serena is new to the mountains. However, she soon shows herself to be the equal of any man, overseeing crews, hunting rattlesnakes, even saving her husband’s life in the wilderness.

Together, this lord and lady of the woodlands ruthlessly kill or vanquish all who fall out of favor.When Serena learns she is with child, she sets out to murder the son George fathered without her. Mother and child begin a struggle for their lives and when Serena suspects George is protecting his illegitimate family, the Pembertons’ intense, passionate marriage starts to unravel as the story moves towards its shocking reckoning.

had broad, timeless appeal, yet synthesized three recognized decorative styles at the turn of the twentieth century--Rustic Revival, Shingle, and Craftsman, but died out after 1940s. In the 1990s, the revival of bark architecture was generated by Marty McCurry, who made it his life’s work to reinvent a modern-day process for manufacturing bark house shingles from poplar bark, utilizing green building practices.

As bark architecture returns today in new forms, it is easy to appreciate the inherent strength of the old bark house context and design. During this architectural revival, bark house design, with all its rich accents, has truly returned and has grown beyond the residential realm. Something of the original bark house lifestyle has returned as well: the appreciation of beauty, relaxation, and nature’s glorious progression throughout the four seasons. Bark house design has endless promise for creating a simply beautiful home.

The Lucky One By: Nicholas Sparks When US Marine, Logan Thibault, finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim.When no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck, winning poker games and even survivng deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend Victor seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph - his lucky charm.

Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo and the woman in it - out of his mind. Believing she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, NC to be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet.

Bark House Style: Sustainable Designs From Nature”

by Chris McCurry and Nan Chase Rustic, refined, natural, organic, unique, sophisticated, timeless, longlasting, sustainable bark shingles are the material of choice for today’s architects, builders, and homeowners. Bark shingles appear in a breathtaking range of projects: mountain, seaside, and prairie homes; resort lodges and inns; shopping centers; sports venues and other entertainment facilities; and built-in and freestanding cabinetry.The first use of bark shingles came in the mountains of western North Carolina from the American chestnut tree, sometime in the late 1800s.The style spread quickly through the resort towns and beyond.The classical lines

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Gaining Peace of Mind What has the Peace Garden given you?

Faith: The Peace Garden has given me, first and foremost, a canvas upon which I could express my art fully. I started with an expanse of sod and basic tools and, with the sweat of my brow and the help of family and friends, the garden has flourished and is in itself evidence of my thankfulness for those who care for me and for my good health.

Lella: The Peace Garden has given me and Faith, as well as our parents, unity and retreat.

We work on the garden as a family, which I think represents the message of unity that a peace garden is suppose to entail.

What do you think the Peace Garden has given to others?

Sisters, Lella and Faith Shaffner enjoying the Peace Faith: I believe it has given Lees-McRae community members a place of respite and Garden on the campus of Lees-McRae College. cultivated green. I enjoy giving plants and Interview By: Rebekah Graham dried leaves to others, but most of all, I enjoy In the hustle and bustle of assignments, sporting picking a leaf from a plant, breaking it, and telling events, and co-curricular activities, life on a a gardening acolyte to smell it. Watching their college campus can become quite busy and faces brighten in surprise at the natural fragrance stressful. However, on the campus of Lees-McRae is one of my favorite gardening moments.

College in Banner Elk, there is a place where What types of plants are in the students, faculty, and staff can all go to relax – the garden?

Peace Garden.This garden was started by sisters Lella: We’ve really strived for variety in the Lella and Faith Shaffner. Both are Avery County garden. There is a plant there for everyone. natives. Lella graduated from Lees-McRae in 2004, We’ve got the usual daylilies, sunflowers and and Faith in 2007. I took time from the hustle and coneflowers, but we also have bog plants, herbs, bustle of life to interview them about what the ornamental grasses, and an unusual collection of garden has given to them and to the Lees-McRae shrubs and trees.

Faith: The focus of the garden is on natives, community.

Where did the idea of the Peace fruit-producers, and herbs. I also have included an assortment of what I fondly call “half-natives,” Garden come from?

Lella: The College’s counselor wanted to see a which are varieties of our native plants that have garden by the McRae House rather than a parking been bred for a particular attribute. For instance, lot, so she sent out a call for people with garden native Heuchera grows just a few hundred feet design skills. I referred Faith, something she still away in the forest nearby and occurs in the garden, but the garden also contains seven other likes to bring up when things are going wrong.

Faith: When I was creating my preliminary varieties of Heuchera. plans for the garden, I reached a point in which I What are the indigenous plants in the had a very nice plan, but I felt that it was missing garden? something. Having already considered various Faith: We have quite a few straight-out themes, I vaguely remembered a snippet from unadulterated natives, but they are more difficult a news story regarding an event at a “Peace and often more expensive to procure as many Garden” in Japan. After a little research, I knew of them are rare. that Lees-McRae could benefit from the spiritual Lella: As of now, one can find red and largeand architectural elements of a Peace Garden, flowered trilliums, solomon’s seal, jack-in-thereminding all of us of our unity and brightening pulpit, turtle’s head, crested iris, and wood ferns. the whole campus with its array of colors in a The wildflower bed is a new feature, though, cottage-style garden. I wanted a place for the so there will be many more native wildflowers plants to mix and mingle freely, reaching beyond planted soon. their borders, exhuming sweet smells and fresh What plans do you have for the garden in the future? drops of dew.

Faith: My plans include extending the native

wildflowers throughout the garden, to either expand or revamp the annual vegetable project, and hope for the funds to come through for the Outdoor Classroom project so entire classes can finally meet comfortably in the garden.

Lella: The big focus is to incorporate an outdoor classroom that will allow instructors to teach traditionally or experientially in an outdoor setting.

What is your favorite memory here in the garden?

Faith: This is obviously a difficult question to answer. I do wish I could primarily offer an aweinspiring answer, but my favorite memory involves ridding the ground of an old, abandoned project that sat in the garden like a sore thumb. It was left by another faculty member with good intentions, but instead was an expensive mass of mud and rocks, unsightly and huge, that I had to pick away at little by little as I tried to create the rest of the garden.A Mountain Day came and swept away the huge boulders through team-effort, and during the summer, my family and I created a depression, placed a liner and collected and placed many of our special native pudding stones, some water plants and goldfish, and made a pond, complete with solar pump. The moment that solar pump started spraying water into the air is my favorite memory by far.

Lella: What a great question! This Spring’s Mountain Day is my favorite memory because the students who volunteered knew about my passion for the garden, and my own energy seemed to infect them. We got more work and fun accomplished in that day than usually occurs in months. Most of the students left with yellow hands after leaving their handprints on the seats of newly-painted picnic tables. The fun they had that day is testament through those signatures.

Final thoughts?

Lella: You won’t see just Faith and me at the Peace Garden regularly. Our parents have been an equal part of its creation. People don’t realize it, but this has been as much of a family project as it has been a campus project, and it is that uncommon kind of teamwork that makes the garden strong on all fronts. It is like a stage performance where Faith and I are the leading actors, while Mom and Dad work backstage. Our parents love to garden, too, and their modest work without recognition always reminds Faith and me what the Peace Garden is about.

Send questions/comments for Rebekah to: comments@aawmag.com. aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 61

Young At Heart|

BY HEATHER YOUNG

Thanks for the Stories I snap the book closed as I realize the long string of saliva dripping off my chin is inching closer to the page. As I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, rise off the sofa, and stumble toward the kitchen for a paper towel, I realize that my heart is racing. “Deep breath,” I remind myself.

“What’s wrong?” Roger asks from back in the living room where he is watching a basketball game on the television.

“Nothing,” I respond, as I use the paper towel to dry my chin of drool, much too embarrassed to let him know that I have been so profoundly affected by a book – a piece of fiction. I have the desire to scream at the top of my lungs, just like the little boy from The Neverending Story, “It’s only a story!”

The problem is that I tend to lose myself in books. One day I can be a pirate, the next a detective and then a vampire. The possibilities are endless! I get caught up in the action or in trying to solve the mystery. It’s so easy to imagine myself as the heroine or to fall a bit in love with the hero. And, the thing is that this has happened many times, so I should really be better prepared for the eventuality of it.

Yet, I am always caught by surprise. I just cannot help myself, because books become so real for me – it’s almost as if the story is alive. Each new adventure is a chance to flex my imagination, and for this I am thankful!

I have always been a reader, preferring books to most other activities. I don’t know how I would have made it through numerous car and plane trips without a book or two to keep my mind occupied.

Roger will tell you that I am always reading something. He is not much of a reader and, therefore, has expressed little interest in exactly what I am reading on any given day. He asks about how my book only when he realizes that I am ignoring him and that all my responses to his questions have become one-syllable words at best, grunts or complete silence at worst. If he knew I was having heart flutters at the thought of the hero, he might express a stronger opinion of my little habit!

But, he understands my need for escape, because he has the same needs and chooses to fulfill them through movies, music or sports.

While I also enjoy movies and music, they rarely elicit the same reaction as books. There is something magical about creating the world in my mind – the characters, the setting, the action – which I find especially satisfying.

I imagine that the thrill, the rush I get from reading, must be similar to what drives people to other less healthy addictions, except books rarely hurt anyone (unless you drop a really heavy one on your toe).

And, I’m not trying to escape to books because my life is boring or depressing. I just like a little variety. However, I ask myself, “Just how real do the stories become? Am I neglecting living because I am so caught up in a story?”

As I ponder this question, I recall a recent conversation I had while purchasing a new book: As I hand my book to the cashier, a very bitter young man, he says, “You know what the problem with these books is?” I give him my best blank stare hoping he will ring up my transaction so that I may leave and not listen to his lecture. But, much to my dismay he continues, “You women compare us real men to the men in these books, and we cannot compare. It’s really not fair!” I informed him with laughter in my voice that “we women” know the 62 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

difference between fantasy and reality, but I cannot help but wonder which character he had been compared to once upon a time and why it left such a scar and whether I had read that book. As I leave the bookstore, I wonder if I am guilty of making unfair comparisons while I am in the throes of my passion for a particular hero.

I suddenly feel very guilty about ignoring Roger when I read. At least I know that I have never said anything out loud like, “Why can’t you be more like (insert favorite literary hero here).” What the bitter salesman failed to understand and what makes me wonder why he is employed at a bookstore in the first place, is that it is all about the story. If the author has not captured my imagination, I will not care one fig for the characters.

I have discovered that certain stories capture my imagination so much that I return to them time and time again. I have read the entire Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody series several times and have just recently finished the Timothy Zahn Star Wars books a second time.

So, regardless of my pesky problem of wanting to be the heroine or falling for the hero, I am so grateful for books. I love getting lost in a new adventure, and I believe it is healthy to get to use my imagination on a regular basis – it keeps me creative and sane. So, to all my favorite authors, thanks for the stories!

Heather is currently reading the Twilight saga, and yes, she is addicted and yes, Roger is again being ignored!

Send questions/comments for Heather to: comments@aawmag.com.

Share Your Favorite Holiday Tradition The theme for December’s issue of All About Women of the High Country is “Family Traditions.” We want to hear from you about how you and your family honor those time-honored holiday traditions that, perhaps, your grandparents established many years ago.

Due to limited space, we cannot promise inclusion of every submission and ask that each entry be brief.

Submissions with clear photo (if desired) should be sent to Sherrie Norris, editor, no later than November 12 by email at sherrie@aawmag.com or mail/drop off to All About Women Magazine, 474 Industrial Park Drive, Boone, NC 28607; fax with cover letter to (828) 262-0282

(We reserve the right to edit all submissions.)

Dearest Dr. Mann,

Q: My man is very generous, but he’s always giving me things I didn’t ask for while totally missing my clues about the things I really want.

In fact, it seems his gifts are more of a pre-emptive strike designed to make me feel greedy if I want more. How can I get what I want while still getting what I want?

--Desirous in Downtown

Dr. Mann: Dear Desirous,

The season of giving is right around the corner, but first you must go through the traditional month of pretending to be thankful for all you have received.

Unfortunately, this often involves someone showing up with a raw 16-pound headless fowl whose vital organs are rearranged inside its body cavity. As if that’s not enough, you’re also expected to set the table. For all that work, you should at least expect a little acknowledgment, if not outright compensation.

Maybe your man is more of a cold turkey than a cash cow, and it’s a simple matter of your respective value systems being in conflict. In other words, you ascribe to that cliched standard codified in divorce laws--”What’s mine is mine, and half of what’s his is mine.”

The good Doctor doesn’t poo-poo a relationship built solely on the material, as it’s much easier to count the chips and know who’s winning. If you measure your worth or the depth of love by how much you can wring out of your turkey (much like that gelid, pinkish fluid that oozes from the Thanksgiving carcass), then by all means celebrate your charms by ordering expensive shoes on the Internet, charging them to his card and whipping up one of those little “Thank You” notes that you can download for free. Then steal one of his stamps and use it to send the note. His heart will warm, much like it does when he tries to digest one of your pumpkin pies.

There are exceptions to this formula and, if your man buys tickets to the Monster Truck Rally as a “present” when you were scheduled to visit your mother that weekend, you have permission to club him with a leftover drumstick. Similarly, if he purchases a laundry iron, a sewing kit, and the complete Martha Stewart video series and then dumps all his torn, ratty clothes on you, he is not expanding your horizons. He is being as selfish as a woman who writes to a romance columnist and basically asks how to trick someone out of money.

Incidentally, the Doctor’s advice is generally free to readers of this fine family publication, but in your case it costs $29.95. I’m sure you can fish it out of his wallet while he’s sleeping. Don’t forget to whisper “Thanks” where he can’t hear you.

Sincerely, Dr. Mann

Do you have a question?

Dr. Mann has the answer. E-mail: boonedrmann@yahoo.com.

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211 Milton Brown Heirs Road · Boone, NC 28607 aawmag.com • SEPTEMBER • 63

Healthy Lady| By BONNIE CHURCH, CNC, Wellness Coach

MILK:

Does it really do a body go o d ?

Cow milk has been a centerpiece of the American diet for decades. It is prominently featured on the second rung of the FDA food pyramid as a necessary component of wellness. It is sought after by white mustachioed celebrities, pictured on billboards and magazines across the nation.

Contrary to all the good press, cow’s milk might not be the health panacea once thought.The “New Food Pyramid” developed by Harvard’s School of Nutrition actually suggests calcium/d3 supplements as a sensible alternative to dairy products.

Why the shift?

According to many medical luminaries, including the well-known Dr. Andrew Weill, milk protein, known as casein, is difficult for the body to digest. It irritates the immune system and produces mucus.

An overactive immune system and mucus contribute to some serious health problems including: allergies, ear/sinus infections, asthma, eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, type 1 diabetes, inflammation in the kidneys and the arteries. I think this may be type II diabetes.

Cow’s milk contributes to another serious health issue – cardiovascular disease. Buttermilk, the fat in milk, is the most saturated fat in the American diet. The average American drinks 2 cups of milk a day.Yes, many are shifting to low-fat versions, the most popular being 2%.

Keep in mind: 2 cups of 2% milk is the fat - equivalent of eating 6 strips of bacon! It is also loaded with cholesterol—that same waxy substance that clogs up our arteries and veins and leads to heart attacks, high blood pressure and strokes.

Milk also contains a sugar (lactose) that is difficult to digest. An estimated 70% of the world is intolerant of the sugar in milk. Lactoseintolerance causes discomfort, gas, bloating, and other digestive problems.

It gets worse: In 1993, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone [rBGH], a genetically engineered copy of a naturally occurring hormone produced by cows.

Hormone-injected dairy cows produce 10-15% more milk. Though hormones solve one problem, they create another. Joseph Mendelson, legal director for the Center for Food Safety, said of rBGH, “There’s no question that it creates more mastitis, or animal disease, that’s going to require more treatment with antibiotics, and that means there’s a greater chance of residues of antibiotics in animals that are treated with the drug.” Mendelson also said cows treated with growth hormone produce more insulin-like growth factor, IGF-1, which has been linked to certain cancers.

The natural molecular components in milk, plus hormone additives, wreak havoc on the complexion as well.A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in February 2005 showed that those who drank three or more cups of milk a day were 22 percent more likely to experience severe acne compared with those who drank less than one serving. Other milk products such as cottage cheese, cream cheese and instant breakfast were also associated with acne.The link between acne and milk was even stronger with skim milk intake.

These concerns beg the question, “But what about our bones? Don’t we need milk to keep them strong?”

We have been told all our lives that milk is a necessary component for bone health. The paradox: Though we are a nation of milk-drinkers, the rate of osteoporosis is significantly higher then other nations that don’t touch the stuff. Apparently there are bone-weakening aspects to milk as well. It potentially creates acidity in the body fluids, which triggers the bones to release calcium. It also contains bone-weakening retinol.

I, like many of you, find this news distressing. Milk, cheese and yogurt are among my favorite comfort foods. Like many of you, I will continue 64 • NOVEMBER • aawmag.com

to use dairy products for one reason - I like them… a lot!

On the other hand, moderation is advised. · Consume less. · Choose low fat/fat-free. · Choose organic [hormone and antibiotic free versions]. · Substitute rice, almond or goat milk [in moderation]. Goat milk, though high in fat, is easier to digest. It actually contains more calcium and other nutrients then cows milk.

To ensure bone-health, the Harvard School of Public Health offers this action plan.

Use alternative Calcium sources: These would include - leafy green vegetables and broccoli, both of which are also great sources of vitamin K, another key nutrient for bone health. Beans and calcium/d3 supplements can also supply bio-available calcium.

Get adequate vitamin D. Vitamin D plays a key role in the absorption of calcium. Look for a multivitamin that supplies 1,000 IU of vitamin D per day. If your multi only has 400 IU of vitamin D, consider taking an extra supplement to get you up to 1,000 IU or 2,000 IU per day.

Be careful about getting too much retinol (vitamin A). Energy bars, and breakfast cereals, can be high in this bone-weakening vitamin A. Beta-carotene is a suitable alternative to Vitamin A as it does not harm bones.

Get active. Regular exercise, especially weight-bearing exercise such as walking or jogging, is an essential part of building and maintaining strong bones.

Send questions/comments for this article to comments@aawmag.com.

November: November 1-2 Lies and Legends: The Musical Stories of Harry Chapin, Hayes Performing Arts Center, Blowing Rock.

Call (828) 295- 9627 November 4 Election Day! November 5 Glorious Cheese: In the Kitchen Cooking Class at Little Pond Farm, Valle Crucis, 6 – 9 p.m. Call (828) 2971011 November 6 Watauga County Farm City Banquet, Boone United Methodist Church, 6 p.m. Call (828) 264-3061 for tickets November 7-10 Dead Man Walking Hayes Auditorium, Lees-McRae College, Banner Elk; Nightly 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinee 2 p.m.

November 7 Downtown Boone Art Crawl, 6 p.m., Gallery visits. Restaurants and boutiques open. Art in all media and price ranges available for sale. Call (828) 262-4532 November 8 Ashe Holiday Parade, noon - 2 p.m. Downtown parade in West Jefferson. Merchant specials, holiday features, galleries and specialty boutiques.

November 9 Chris Brubeck’s Triple Play, 7:30 p.m. - Three outstanding musicians bring American spirit to the folk, blues, jazz, funk and classical music. Hayes Performing Arts Center, (828) 295-4636 November 11 Veteran’s Day November 13-23 41st Annual Southern Christmas Show 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. except Sun. Mon. and Tues: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Charlotte Merchandise Mart, 2500 E. Independence Blvd., Charlotte, NC November 14 Teatro Lirico’s Carmen, one of the most popular operas of all time — Farthing Auditorium, ASU, Boone 8pm, Call (828) 262-6084 for tickets November 8 Ashe Holiday Parade, 2 p.m. Downtown parade in West Jefferson.

November 15 Women’s Spa Day, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., White Hart Woods Center for Leadership & Cultural Arts, Ashe County.

Special day of pampering for women.

Gourmet lunch, Call (336) 246-3600

November 15 ASU vs ELON 3:30 p.m.

Kidd Brewer Stadium November 15 Surefire Bluegrass Band - HayesGrass winners, 7 p.m., Hayes Performing Arts Center (828) 295-4636 November 15 – 22 Who’s Andy Warhol: A Pop Art Workshop for children ages 6 – 12, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., Turchin Center for the Visual Arts Programs. Call (828) 2623017 November 16 Blue Ridge Descendants: Glenn Bolick, Bob Harmon, James Coffey, and friends celebrate our area’s musical history, 7:30 p.m. Hayes Performing Arts Center (828) 295-9627 November 21 Steve & Ruth Smith - “An Appalachian Winter” 7:30 p.m.., Hayes Performing Arts Center, Celtic-Appalachian Christmas concert celebrating the release of new hammered dulcimer and guitar CD (828) 295 - 9627 November 22 The Eric Mintel Quartet (“the poet’s gift”) 7:30 pm, Hayes Performing Arts Center, Blowing Rock.

Holiday jazz. (828) 295-9627 November 25 Mountainhome Music 8 p.m., Hayes Performing Arts CenterChristmas Tree Concert: Wayne Henderson & Friends, (828) 295-4636 November 27

November 29 Beech Mountain Holiday Market, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Buckeye Recreation Center. One-stop holiday shopping, movie, popcorn, and a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus!

November 29 Holiday Market 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Horn in the West parking lot, Boone. Watauga County Farmers’ Market will again host a special shopping experience featuring winter greenery, local foods, crafts and other gift ideas.

November 30 - December 24 Chetola Lights, Blowing Rock, 47,000 bulbs provide twinkling, spectacular drivethrough display. Visit Manor House Pub for hot cider.

November 30 Opening Reception for “Images of Peru” by photographer Cathy Allinder, 5 - 7 p.m., White Hart Woods Center for Leadership and Cultural Arts, 313 Mt. Jefferson State Park Rd. in West Jefferson, Call (336) 246-3600 National Women’s Right to Vote National Hospice Month, National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month National Caregiver’s Month

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 27-30 Thanksgiving Turkey Treat at Sugar Mtn. For one low price, you can ski/ride the 4 days of the Thanksgiving weekend. Reservations required before Sunday, Nov. 23, at 5 p.m.

November 28 Christmas in the Park & Lighting of the Town: Memorial Park, downtown Blowing Rock. Activities for kids of all ages. Visit with Santa in the gazebo. Free hot chocolate and hot cider, caroling in the park.

November 29 Blowing Rock Christmas Parade 3 p.m. - Main Street in Blowing Rock November 29 14th Annual Thanksgiving Wood Kiln Opening at Bolick’s and Traditions Pottery 9 a.m., Blackberry Rd., Blowing Rock; Free admission.

Do you have a special upcoming event?

Send us a note to: comments@aawmag.com and we’ll add™ it to that month’s calendar page! aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 65

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aawmag.com • NOVEMBER • 67