AE Vol.3 Issue 5- Preview

A me rican Es s e nc e

American Essence

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FO R E V E RYO N E W H O LOV E S T H I S CO U N T RY

Care and Compassion In Memphis, a faithbased clinic cares for the poor and uninsured, without any government funding

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The Healing Power of Herbs Nicole Apelian, herbalist and wilderness skills expert, turned to nature to conquer a debilitating diagnosis

Fashion for Good Texas-born Miss Universe R’Bonney Gabriel wants to harness the power of sustainable fashion to make a difference in the world

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Waterfowl fly over the Great Salt Lake near Antelope Island in Utah.

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The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself, and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.”

—AL E X AN D E R H AM ILTO N

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History 38 | Instilling Character and Patriotism The single most important woman in his life, Gen. MacArthur’s mother, Pinky, taught him how to be a great man.

42 | The Hero From New Hampshire Young frontiersman John Stark went on to become a Revolutionary War general and coin the phrase, “Live Free or Die.” 48 | Children to the Rescue When floodwaters threatened Fort Wayne, Indiana, the mayor called on all school-aged children to help.

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Contents Features 6 | A Journey of Love and Creativity One mother’s transformative journey from fashion photographer to children’s book author.

10 | Winning the Crown How a young Texas woman achieved her dream of becoming Miss Universe, with heart and hard work.

16 | Rethinking Beauty A new cosmetic center wants to inspire people to cultivate beauty from within.

20 | Healing Body and Spirit A faith-based clinic in Memphis creates an all-in-one health care model for taking care of the uninsured.

24 | Snapshots of America’s West Oklahoma-based photographer Kirsten Griffin emphasizes honesty in her approach to capturing the right moment.

54 | Hello, 911?

An Alabama town unexpectedly became the first place in the country to adopt the emergency phone line.

58 | The Apostle of the Alleghenies A young Russian aristocrat traveling through America stayed on, becoming a priest and ministering to settlers in the mountains of Pennsylvania.

32 | Why I Love America Whitney White reflects on her Irish ancestors’ journeys as stowaways on a ship bound for America—and freedom.

34 | Family Roots A writer pays homage to a grandmother who encouraged her to follow her passion.

36 | Book Recommender “A Patriot’s History of the United States” is an honest evaluation of our nation’s history; “The Rail Splitter” (page 92) gives us the expressive, brooding Lincoln long before he became leader of a nation burning with war.

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Lifestyle 64 | Grandmas of the World A bold restaurant on Staten Island, New York, offers authentic dishes prepared by a rotating roster of grandmothers from a plethora of cultures.

70 | A Mediterranean Kitchen in Atlanta Cookbook author Suzy Karadsheh shares the bright, bold flavors of her home region.

78 | The Booze-Free Boom Expert picks for the best non-alcoholic wine, beer, and spirits.

80 | Nature’s Prescription Nicole Apelian is teaching people how to heal themselves with the herbs that changed her life.

86 | Grow Your Own Medicine A beginner’s guide to starting a backyard medicinal herb garden.

88 | East Broad Top Railroad A Pennsylvania steam locomotive finds new life in a historic rail travel experience.

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96 | Parting Thoughts W.F.K. Travers’s fully restored painting of Abraham Lincoln is now on display at the National Portrait Gallery.

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Features | Personalities

American Beauty The daughter of a first-generation immigrant and a Texas native, Miss Universe R’Bonney Gabriel credits her family for her tireless work ethic.

Now, her ambition is to inspire young women everywhere WRITTEN BY

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ith hard work, you can do anything,” said fashion designer R’Bonney Gabriel.

Today, as Miss Universe 2022, she wants to inspire young women everywhere with her message. Just last year, the Houston resident clinched wins at the Miss Texas USA pageant, followed three months later at the Miss USA competition, and then three months later, on January 14, 2023, the crown of all crowns, Miss Universe.

Gabriel’s story is a multi-generational American dream. Her father immigrated to America with a college scholarship, $20, and the American dream in his heart. Throughout her childhood, he told her, “You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room to make the best grades, you just have to be the hardest worker.” That taught her that even if someone wasn’t born with a natural gift or talent, he or she could still train and work hard to perfect a skill, and achieve any goal he or she set.

Her mother, who came from humble beginnings in Beaumont, Texas, taught her patience, faith, and unconditional love. She “grew up with warm Southern hospitality, [and] I carry

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that same energy with me no matter where I travel in the world.”

“The hard work ethic and ‘can-do attitude’ combined with my mother’s kindness and heart to serve others are key characteristics that have been instilled in me from a very young age, and are now more important than ever for my role as Miss Universe,” she said.

Gabriel recalls an anecdote from her childhood when she wanted an outdoor playground set that cost a lot of money. ​​“We received a catalog in the mail with these extravagant-looking playgrounds, … and my dad said that we could build it ourselves. He taught me how to dig a hole and mix cement to build a base, how to hammer nails, drill holes, use a level, etc. It was four stories high … with a tire swing, ladders, and even a bridge. That project really showed me how to take a vision and build it into a reality.

That shaped me to have a ‘do-it-yourself’ mentality in life.”

RIGHT R’Bonney Gabriel hails from Houston, Texas, and is the first Filipina American to win Miss Texas, Miss USA, and Miss Universe.

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Inner Beauty | Features

Beyond Skin Deep An innovative new cosmetic center takes a holistic approach to cultivating beauty WRITTEN BY

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n the ancient world, beauty was defined by harmonious proportion, where all elements combined into a satisfying, soul-stirring balance. It was an ideal to aim for, and a virtue to embody.

Today, there is a saying that beauty is only skin deep. With this notion, it’s no wonder why we see the pursuit of beauty as something vain and shallow, sometimes even ugly.

But whatever happened to the more substantive and transcendent aspects of beauty that our ancestors believed were found beyond the superficial? A new plastic surgery clinic wants to help patients find it.

The project began with a grand goal: create a cosmetic surgical center with a deeper approach to aesthetics. Dr. Jingduan Yang has been working the past year to realize this vision.

Yang is no stranger to running a practice.

He is currently the CEO of Northern Medical Center, located in New York’s Hudson Valley.

The center is a multidisciplinary, integrative facility that features both primary and specialty care, such as traditional Chinese medicine, pediatrics, sports medicine, and more.

Holistic Beauty Like Northern Medical Center, Yang holds a combination of medical specialties that lend to his holistic mindset. He began his medical career as an acupuncturist—he’s a fifth-generation practitioner of Chinese medicine—and then became an attending neurologist. Later, he was board certified in both psychiatry and integrative medicine.

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Yang said he never imagined that his career would branch into the realm of cosmetics.

But he wanted to find a way to help people transcend the often shallow reputation of the beauty industry, and embrace something more substantial. “We want to make a paradigm shift to help people to become healthier, happier, and more beautiful,” Yang said.

The new clinic, called SY Aesthetics, is set to open later this year. Dr. Jeffrey Yager is one of the surgeons on the team. Last year, Yager was set to retire from a 26-year career in plastic surgery because he felt his job had become tedious. But Yang’s idea gave Yager new inspiration for his profession. He realized that there were elements that his previous work had been missing.

“Technically, my skills were such that I could repeat excellent results. But what I found frustrating was I could get the same result on several different people LEFT Common herbs in traditional Chinese medicine: goji berries, dong quai (female ginseng), dong gua pi (winter melon peel), zhi zi (gardenia seeds), rougui (cassia bark), and dang shen (codonopsis root).

They are used to regulate energy imbalances in the body, which can lead to a healthier, more radiant complexion, according to Dr. Jingduan Yang.

RIGHT Ginseng is known to have anti-inflammatory properties, boost brain function, and relieve stress.

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Features | Americana

Visions of the Frontier Oklahoma-based photographer Kirsten Griffin, who is used to turning her camera toward remote parts of the world, finds beauty in her own home region WRITTEN BY

Annie Wu

ABOVE Tara Goodfox of the Sac and Fox Nation performs a dance.

RIGHT Xavier Toehay of the Kiowa and Osage tribes dons an elaborate outfit to perform a “fancy dance.”

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he first time she picked up the camera was to capture her newborn daughter.

From that moment on, Kirsten Griffin fell in love with photography. Nature’s flora and fauna are often her subject matter, as she finds them to be filled with beauty. Her approach is to be present in the moment and let the “analytical side” of her brain rest, in order to have her intuition guide her, she said. “I think it’s just being honest, finding things that are beautiful, finding things that I’m resonating with.”

Oklahoma, where Griffin is based, is home to 39 Native American tribal nations. She considers herself fortunate to live in an area where tribes often hold public powwows that she can witness and photograph. “It’s just gorgeous to see the dignity … and this deep connection to their heritage,” she said.

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The Woman Who Shaped MacArthur Pinky MacArthur, the renowned general’s mother, taught him the importance of personal sacrifice and gave him the courage to stand by his principles WRITTEN BY

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ood mothers encourage their children, guide them when they face trials, and when necessary, gently push them to strive for excellence.

Even after the kids enter college or join the workforce, Mom is just a phone call away, ready to offer advice or a shoulder to cry on.

“Life doesn’t come with a manual,” the old saying goes. “It comes with a mother.”

Which brings us to Mary Pinkney MacArthur.

Mary Pinkney (1852–1935), “Pinky” to her friends, was a Southerner, a daughter of North Carolina and Virginia, who was proud of her older brothers for having fought for the Confederacy. Yet in 1875, Pinky demonstrated

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the indomitable willpower that would mark her life by marrying Arthur MacArthur, a Union war hero instrumental in the defeat of Confederate forces at the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Though her family opposed her wedding to a Yankee—two of her brothers refused to attend the ceremony—Pinky remained a devoted and loving wife until Arthur’s death in 1912.

ABOVE General MacArthur’s mother, “Pinky,” (Mary

Pinkney MacArthur) was the single most important person in his life. Photograph of Pinky, circa 1875.

RIGHT Portrait of MacArthur by Emil Hermann, 1933.

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History | Community

The Children’s Crusade When rising floodwaters threatened to engulf Fort Wayne, Indiana, the town’s children joined together to stop the flooding WRITTEN BY

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orty-one years ago this March, the citizens of Fort Wayne, Indiana, were in a desperate battle against rising floodwaters threatening to utterly engulf their city.

And they were losing.

Mountains of piled-up, heavy winter snow—81 inches had fallen that season—combined with an unseasonably warm March thaw, had swollen the St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee Rivers to historic and cataclysmic levels.

Already, after four days of struggle, much of the city was under water and evacuations were underway. Before leaving their homes and businesses, citizens piled furniture high in their living rooms and hung bags of belongings from ceiling fixtures. Rising floodwaters were sweeping in the front doors and slushing out the back. All around the city, levees became so waterlogged they started to leak; 69-year-old dikes were failing.

With the heart of Fort Wayne in eminent danger as water continued to rise, and no more civil or governmental resources left to help, an exhausted yet intrepid Fort Wayne Mayor Winfield “Win” Moses did the unthinkable.

"He called the kids."

“They were the only hope we had,” Moses said recently in an interview. Within hours, hundreds—then thousands—of Fort Wayne school children began answering the “urgent need” for help, Moses said. Boys dressed in RIGHT President Ronald Reagan helps to place sandbags near the banks of the St. Marys River in Fort Wayne on March 16, 1982.

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corduroy slacks and sweater vests, and girls in ruffled peasant blouses, overalls, and monogrammed sweaters filled the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and lined the 8 miles of city dikes.

And in six days, some 10,000 school children had filled, hauled, and stacked more than a million sandbags, reports claimed— used to buttress the leaking dikes against the three rivers that were drowning their town.

Teenagers out in the freezing rain—some with no boots or gloves—were passing sandbags and singing, hour after unrelenting hour, floodlights illuminating their work.

But they beat back the rivers. “It was a children’s crusade, no doubt about it,” Moses recalled. His memories have clearly not receded, unlike the floodwaters. He estimated that teenagers comprised 60 percent of the flood-fighters.

“I meant it then and still mean it today,” said the retired Indiana pol now living in North Carolina. “The kids of Fort Wayne saved our city.”

A Strong Community Former “kid” Anne Duff, now an at-large member of the Fort Wayne Community School Board, was a high school junior in 1982. She remembers the fire department coming to her family’s front door one evening and telling them they had to evacuate. Their home was along the swollen St. Joe’s but thankfully escaped damage. Her parents fled to a hotel, and she stayed with a friend. But soon she and her friends were out in the effort.

“My friends and I went down to the Coliseum to help bag, but the lines were so

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Suzy Karadsheh prepares a spread of mezze: small, shareable bites that typically start off a Mediterranean meal.

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Food | Lifestyle

Eating Well, the Mediterranean Way Suzy Karadsheh, the Egypt-born, Atlanta-based founder of The Mediterranean Dish food blog, dishes on bringing her home region’s sunny flavors to the American kitchen

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hat began as a humble blog that Egyptian-born Suzy Karadsheh created to share recipes and family stories with her daughters has grown to become the largest website for modern Mediterranean cooking, attracting millions of monthly visitors. She published her first cookbook, “The Mediterranean Dish Cookbook: 120 Bold and Healthy Recipes You’ll Make on Repeat,” in 2022. In a chat with American Essence, she reflected on her cooking and upbringing and shared some handy tips and recipes for home cooks looking for easier, healthy options.

American Essence: You pattern of eating. Here in our define three principles of the [American] culture, people Mediterranean diet as, “Eat with think of it as a rigid list of dos the seasons; use mostly whole and don’ts. It comes with that foods; and above all else, share.” restrictive feeling. But eating the Can you elaborate?

Mediterranean diet is anything Suzy Karadsheh: These are but that. three things I grew up with in We eat everything, but we eat my parents’ home [in Port Said, more from the bottom of the Egypt]. It was not so much a pyramid. At the tip of the pyramid, deliberate attempt at following you have anything processed, particular principles, but a way sweets, heavier red meats. It doesn’t ABOVE Karadsheh published of life. We’d go to the souq [fresh her first cookbook, “The mean we are not eating them every Mediterranean Dish,” in 2022. market] a few times a week. So week. But the focus is more on the naturally, we ate in season. I did not grow up vegetables, the legumes, the hearty grains, on a lot of processed foods at all. When the and all that good stuff; protein from fish and farmers market [in Atlanta] is open, I am there maybe a little bit of dairy. You will fill your every Saturday, and I am looking at whatever is day and your plate with those fiber-based and in season and chatting with the merchants and plant-based proteins that keep you satisfied farmers. for longer.

Sharing is probably the biggest part of what I try to deliberately do right now. At my parents’ AE: What are some of your earliest memories home, at the table, we always had so many around food and cooking? people. There was a real sense of community, Mrs. Karadsheh: My mom was a teacher and and sharing meals was just a part of that. so we did our homework at the kitchen table while she prepared dinner. So my memories AE: What do we get wrong about the are of pages of homework with tomato sauce Mediterranean diet? on top.

Mrs. Karadsheh: Mediterranean people My mom was more of an intuitive cook. And would not think of it as a “diet”; it’s a my dad, too. It’s all just eyeballing. I remember

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Everyday Tomato and Cucumber Salad With Dad’s Salad ‘Whisky’ SERVES 4 TO 6 For most meals at my parents’ house, my dad was in charge of the “extras”: the salad, the feta plate, the pickles or olives—all the things he loved that made the meal a little more special. His “three-ingredient Mediterranean salad” literally had chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley.

He seasoned it simply with salt and pepper, lime juice or vinegar, and a good drizzle of olive oil. Baba loved it when the salad sat long enough for all the juices to concentrate in the bowl. He called this delicious liquid “salad whisky” because once everyone was served and the bowl was empty, he collected the liquid in a small glass and drank it like a shot of whisky! I inherited my love for “salad whisky” from Baba and passed it on to my girls, who now fight over who gets to drink it.

—Suzy Karadsheh • 3 vine-ripened medium tomatoes, cored and diced • 1 English (hothouse) cucumber, diced • 3 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts roughly chopped • 2 or 3 radishes, diced • 1 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley • 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh dill fronds • 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves • 2 large garlic cloves, minced • Kosher salt and ground black pepper • 1 teaspoon sumac • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) • Juice of 1 lime or lemon, plus more to taste (2 to 4 tablespoons) • Extra-virgin olive oil

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Recipes | Lifestyle

vividly the kitchen and the smells around me and just the joy, and that throwing together of simple humble ingredients that turn into good meals in a half hour or so.

But my biggest memories of food are of my dad taking me to the market. He was a pastor, going mainly to check up on people and chat.

He took so much joy in showing me a tomato and telling me to smell it, touch it.

AE: Are there any uniquely American or Southern culinary techniques that you’ve picked up since you’ve made the South your home?

Mrs. Karadsheh: I’ve lived in America longer than I have in Egypt. I am very much an American mom, so I have to be efficient in the kitchen. What drives my cooking are the ingredients available, my schedule, and the hurriedness of it. I have become efficient at making skillet dinners and casseroles.

AE: What are some essential ingredients that are always in your pantry?

Mrs. Karadsheh: Extra virgin olive oil, garlic, dried and canned beans, whole grains. Keep in a dry, dark, cool place.

AE: What about your fridge?

Mrs. Karadsheh: Anything citrus—lemons, limes, oranges. Fresh herbs—parsley, cilantro.

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, scallions, radishes, herbs, and garlic.

Season well with salt and pepper to taste. Add the sumac and red pepper flakes (if using).

Dress the salad with about 2 tablespoons of the lime or lemon juice and a generous drizzle of olive oil (about 3 tablespoons). Toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a splash more lime or lemon juice if you like. Allow the salad to sit about 10 minutes before serving so the flavors meld and the “salad whisky” forms.

If you have any leftovers, keep in the fridge in a tightly covered container for up to one night (it gets nicely marinated, but it may lose a bit of its crunch).

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AE: What do you typically cook on a weeknight?

Mrs. Karadsheh: Something in a skillet, [such as] a quick chicken skillet with oregano, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.

AE: What do you do when you’re stuck in a cooking rut?

Mrs. Karadsheh: I grab two cans of chickpeas.

I’ll throw them in a skillet with lots of olive oil, lots of garlic, lots of lemon juice. And then whatever else I have in my fridge. I don’t stress about cooking. It just takes a little bit of imagination to open the fridge and think, “What’s lying around that needs to be used today?”

That’s not to say we haven’t had a Chick-fil-A or pizza night! I am not a superhero. •

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Lifestyle | Wellness

Unlocking Nature’s Apothecary Nicole Apelian, Ph.D., herbalist and wilderness skills expert, took control of her own health and wellness —and conquered a debilitating diagnosis WRITTEN BY

Ryan Cashman

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n the north side of Vancouver Island, alone in the biting cold of a coastal Canadian winter, Nicole Apelian found herself in a predicament. While gutting a salmon she’d caught to eat, she’d cut deep into the forefinger of her left hand. The wound was to the bone and had all the potential, if not properly treated, of leading to infection.

Fortunately for Apelian, this was not to be the case.

Learning From the Land Nature had always been with her.

“I was always a feral child,” she said with a chuckle. Her childhood had been one filled with the joy of natural discovery. Whether she was off hiking with her family or running through the neighborhood of her hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts, the outdoors was always near.

Nature followed her move across the country to the West Coast, where she earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in biology. Yet for all her appreciation and time spent outof-doors, Apelian did not learn what it took to truly connect with nature until she journeyed to Africa in the 1990s as a member of the Peace Corps. Operating as a game warden, she explored the wilds of southern Africa, tracking lions and a variety of other wildlife.

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In Botswana, Apelian encountered the Kalahari San Bushmen, one of southern Africa’s last remaining indigenous hunter-gatherer tribes. “I learned everything from them,” said Apelian. So entranced was she by their culture that she based her entire doctorate in cultural anthropology around her experience with the tribe. Going far beyond a simple academic interest, however, Apelian became incredibly close with the members.

She began learning the fundamentals of wilderness survival, so indicative of life in the bush. She learned the language of birds and how different calls alerted one to the presence of specific animals. She learned to forage for medicinal plants. She learned how to start a fire by friction. All of these skills, derived from thousands of years of gathered wisdom, provided Apelian with an arsenal of survival knowledge, as well as a deep sense of place and purpose, the likes of which she had never before experienced.

Far away from that African landscape, huddled in her makeshift shelter on Vancouver Island, Apelian tended to her lacerated hand.

Calling upon her knowledge of foraging for medicinal plants, she got to work. “When you know what’s there, you look at the forest in a RIGHT Nicole Apelian is passionate about teaching others to use herbal remedies and embrace holistic wellness.

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The Backyard Medicine Cabinet: Growing Your Own Medicinal Herb Garden “I think everyone should have a medicinal garden in their backyard,” says Nicole Apelian. Here, she recommends her favorite, beginner-friendly herbs to grow.

Whether you start with one or plan a full garden, be sure to “study your plants,” she says, “so you know which parts are best used for medicine and what time of year to harvest them.”

↑ Calendula (Calendula officinalis) Good For: Externally for rashes, soothing skin, encouraging collagen production Quick Fix: Rub calendula oil into your skin to both soothe and protect.

↙ Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)

Good For: HSV, anxiety, looped thinking, helps cognitive function Quick Fix: Steep 1 tablespoon fresh chopped leaves or 1 teaspoon dried leaves in 1 cup of boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain and drink as needed for anxiety relief.

Lavender → (Lavandula angustifolia) Good For: Calming anxiety Quick Fix: Place a pouch of lavender under your pillow for a more restful sleep.

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Echinacea → (Echinacea purpurea)

Chamomile ↘ (Matricaria chamomilla)

Good For: Helps with sleep, calms the nervous system Quick Fix: Add chamomile leaves and/or flowers to your bath to help relax sore muscles.

← Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Good For: Antibacterial, fever reducer, helps stop bleeding Quick Fix: Place fresh yarrow leaves on a wound to help stop bleeding fast.

Good For: Immune stimulant, antifungal (Note: Those with an underlying autoimmune condition need to be careful using echinacea as it may be too immuno-stimulatory) Quick Fix: Slice echinacea roots and simmer in water for 30 minutes. Drink at the first sign of a cold.

Best Practices Planting “These herbs all grow well in full sun. Most garden stores sell starts, or you can ask your neighbor if they have any to split—they all split well except for lavender. Note that lemon balm is in the mint family and likes to spread, so you may want it as a potted plant.”

Drying Marshmallow → (Althaea officinalis)

Good For: Digestive and gut issues; the mucilage forms a protective layer in the gut Quick Fix: Cover marshmallow roots with cold water and let its mucilage extract for a few hours.

Drink as needed to soothe and protect your digestive tract.

“I like to process my herbs as soon as I’ve picked them. Never dry on high heat. Many plants air-dry well on your counter or in the sun using a large basket or spread out on cookie sheets. A dehydrator on low heat works well for roots and berries.”

Storing “I store most of my herbs in glass jars in a dark cupboard until I’m ready to make them into medicine.”

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Lifestyle | Rail Travel

All Aboard!

The East Broad Top Railroad in Pennsylvania is back in operation, but the iron and coal it once delivered are now being replaced by curious visitors WRITTEN BY

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he hiss of steam. The smell of coal smoke. The blaring of the horn. All are in the air again. The East Broad Top Railroad (EBT) is back on track.

In February, “Number 16” emerged from the repair shop after 67 years in mothballs, ready to resurrect the sights and sounds of narrow-gauge steam railroading. It’s one of six steam locomotives in the roundhouse of the Pennsylvania-based line, the only original narrow-gauge railroad now operating east of the Rocky Mountains.

EBT no longer delivers iron, coal, and limestone as it did, beginning in the 1870s until changing economic conditions forced the line’s closure in 1956. Four years later, a merciful scrap dealer named Nick Kovalchick reopened the steam line to the public and kept it chugging until 2011. Now, the East Broad Top Foundation, a group that includes seasoned railroad executives who purchased the line in 2020, aims to entertain a growing number of visitors, educate them about the heyday of steam, and provide a sustainable jump-start to Central Pennsylvania’s economy.

Ten years after the scrap dealer sold EBT to the foundation, the nonprofit renewed trips for the public down its 9-mile, round-trip

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tracks, with the hopes of restoring all 33 miles as the public’s interest in “heritage railroading” grows.

“You roll through 9 miles of rolling hills, farms, forests. … You’re going to see, really, just the heart of Pennsylvania. It’s rather beautiful, especially in the fall, with the crops growing and the colors changing,” said Jonathan Smith, director of sales and marketing for the railroad.

The narrow-gauge tracks that EBT runs on are, to rail enthusiasts, just as beautiful as the scenery that visitors pass through. East Broad Top is the oldest operating narrow-gauge railroad in the country, said Smith, who grew up in Colorado near the famed Durango & Silverton line and became smitten with the look and lore of locomotives.

With rails only 3 feet apart instead of the standard four-foot, 8.5 inches used by most of the industry, narrow-gauge cost less to build, and because of its smaller size “you could have sharper curves, which could get you through more difficult terrain for less money,” said Linn Moedinger, a member of EBT’s board of directors. “But that’s pretty much where the economic advantages ended, and which is the reason the narrow-gauge finally failed.”

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One of six steam locomotives that are part of the East Broad Top Railroad. The train line began operating in 1871, and it was recently repaired to become a fully functional tourist attraction.

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