City Unwrapped Real Views. Real People. Real City.
‘WinterFest’ Unwrapped
•• History History of of St. St. Valentine’s Valentine’s Day Day •• An An Interview Interview with with aa Home-Brewer Home-Brewer •• 44 Weeks, Weeks, 44 Simple Simple Steps Steps to to aa Healthier Healthier New New You You •• Lucky Lucky Labs Labs Rescue Rescue
Complimentary January / February 2014
Table of Contents Featured Articles
Also in This Issue
5
Who Are You and Why City Unwrapped?
20
WinterFest in Blowing Rock, NC
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Turning a Bad Report Card into Hope For Struggling Learners Learning Rx
Featured Businesses Learning Rx Happy Tails & Paws and Perms Christian Brothers Automotive Christian Brothers Automotive
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2 23 27 28
What’s Happening in January? Meet Gabby What’s Happening in February? Valentine’s Day on a Budget
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History of St. Valentine’s Day A Loving Heart & Helping Hands An Interview with a Home-Brewer 4 Weeks 4 Simple Steps to a Healthier New You Oven Roasted Seasoned Potatoes Recipe According to Betsy Coloring Super Stars Kid’s Coloring Page Featured Pet Lucky Labs Rescue Accidents Happen How to Show Love to Your Furry Family Members
pg 10 pg. 11 pg. 14 pg. 16
Find “Maggie” For Your Chance To Win a $50.00 Visa Gift Card!
6 7 8 9
pg. 17 pg. 19 pg. 20 pg. 21 pg. 22 pg. 23 pg. 25 pg. 26
Find this “Maggie” in one of the ads:
Congratulations to Marie J.. She won the $50.00 Visa Gift When you do, write down which ad you found Card in the her in and send your name and address to “Find Maggie” contest. Info@CityUnwrapped.com or mail to:
All entries must be received by February 10th. Winner will be randomly drawn and announced in the next issue. Official Rules can be found at: http://cityunwrapped.com/find-maggie-official-rules/
City Unwrapped 13016 Eastfield Rd Suite 231 Huntersville, NC 28078
www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 3
City Unwrapped
13016 Eastfield Rd, Ste 231 Huntersville, NC 28078
We are able to offer City Unwrapped as a free publication because of our advertisers. Please support these businesses. Owner/Editor Katie Campbell (704) 719-0979 Regional Manager Pete Southworth (704) 756-3346 Account Manager Blake Lewis (301) 807-2662 You may also email questions or materials to: info@CityUnwrapped.com Current Distribution Areas: Highland Creek Skybrook Winding Walk Wynfield Moss Creek MacAulay The Hamptons Local Businesses including: The BP at The Shoppes at Highland Creek Dilworth Coffee at The Shoppes at Highland Creek Rocky River Coffee at Cannon Crossroads AND NOW WE ARE IN 14 AREA HARRIS TEETER STORES in N. Charlotte, Huntersville, Davidson, Concord, and Cornelius! For more information about advertising or to view City Unwrapped online, scan the QR Code:
Calendar Photos I am thrilled to announce that three of City Unwrapped photos have been chosen to be included in a calendar! In November, ITek Graphics had a photo contest where you uploaded your photos to their Facebook page and their fans voted on them. I uploaded several pictures including photos from the HomeTown Heroes Annual Road Tour, my tour of Suzie’s Pride Facility, pictures from the snow we had last year, and some pictures from the UNCC Botanical Gardens. After all was said and done, three of our photos were chosen to be included in the calendar! As of the printing of this magazine, they knew two our pictures were going to be featured in the month of July and March, but discussions were still going on about which one of our other photos were going to be featured in the month of May. Itek is deciding between a picture I took at Suzie’s Pride (a tiger) or the picture I took of my peach tree in the snow last year to be featured in the month of May. Since you have already seen one of the tiger pictures I took at Suzie’s Pride, I decided the cover of this issue should display the other picture that may make it into ITek’s calendar. The picture was taken in my backyard last year during the only snowfall we had. I loved the way it shows the contrast between Winter and Spring, the opposing forces. My peach tree was trying to bloom and then the snow came. My tree ended up blooming, but not creating any peaches. So, in fact, Winter won that fight. The peach tree may have been beautiful while in bloom, but Winter’s freeze took its peaches from us. Or maybe, I just didn’t prune my tree correctly in the Fall and it is my fault there were no peaches, but I kind of like the opposing forces story better don’t you? Either way, I am proud to be a part of the ITek Graphic calendar and can’t wait to see it. I wish you all a Happy, Healthy 2014! Real Views. Real People. Real City. Katie Campbell Katie@CityUnwrapped.com
Or, just visit www.CityUnwrapped.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at: @CityUnwrapped www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 4
Disclaimer: City Unwrapped is published bi-monthly. The articles published in City Unwrapped do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher. All articles are intended for informational purposes only, & none should serve as a substitute for doctor’s advice & orders. Advertisers are solely responsible for the content & validity of information printed within their ads & are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher. Deceptive or misleading advertising is not knowingly accepted by the publisher. Advertising is accepted with the understanding that all liability for copyright violations is the sole responsibility of the advertiser. All material submitted for publication is considered to be the sole property of the advertiser. City Unwrapped’s publishers, staff, and other persons involved in the creation, production, or delivery of the newsletter (in any form) or it’s content, do not assume any liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided in the magazine, nor shall they be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of the use of the publication.
Who Are You and Why City Unwrapped? Since we started this magazine I have been asked many
times, who am I and why did I create City Unwrapped magazine. I suppose both of those questions are reasonable for both readers and advertisers. I mean, we did kind of just pop up one day and at the end of the day, people want to know who is behind the magazine and what are our intentions. Let’s start with me. My name is Katie Campbell and I am a transplant from Southern California. I have lived here almost 12 years now and still am not used to the hot, humid Summers, or the cold Winters, and if I am being honest, I am slightly afraid of those massive thunderstorms we have in the Spring (shhhh! don’t tell!). I have two kids, one in Middle School and one in High School and wonder how the heck did that happen so fast!? My background is in retail and technical writing, but I have run successful blogs (three as a matter of fact) since I have moved here, including KatieTalksCarolina.com, the blog I also promote our current advertisers with. As the magazine is still relatively new, we still run in the red, with printing being the highest cost, I have to continue to work a full time job in order to cover the cost of the magazine. I started the magazine with the vision that it was going to be about our ‘corner’ of the Charlotte area. We are not downtown anything, we are not uptown anything, we are the northern “Five corners” as I have called it of Charlotte, Huntersville, Concord, Davidson, and Cornelius. We are not the University area, we are not Uptown Charlotte, we are not the Triad, so we, as a community and as businesses are kind of forgotten about. My purpose was to bring light to our community, the “Five Corners”. We are the people who live and breathe in these communities. Some of us travel to Uptown Charlotte for work, others to the Triad, so we need to know what services are offered in those areas, but we also want to know what is going on up here, in our forgotten corner. I want to know about the events your church or non profit is having, I want to know if your child excelled in something. I want to know about the community. I want your stories of success, of failure, what are you fighting for? What is important to you?
As I set out to design the magazine each issue, I try to come up with a story featuring a non profit that may not be getting the exposure it needs. I try to think of a heartwarming stories, I like to write about people in the community. I want to write about things people are going to read. I like to highlight a craft or a recipe that anyone can do - let’s face it, I’m not Martha Stewart. I also like to write stories about the businesses that advertise with us. Why? Because this magazine would not exist without them. I am extremely devoted to our advertisers and if there is extra space in the magazine, I offer it to our advertisers. Our advertisers not only get an ad in a tangible magazine, they also get promoted on our website, www.cityunwrapped.com, as well as the social media sites for the City Unwrapped magazine and the Katie Talks Carolina blog. I know their advertising dollars can be spent anywhere they choose, so I do my best to give them above and beyond what another magazine offers. If I talk to an advertiser and they say “We are having a sale,” for example, I will post about it on our website. Our advertisers can send us anything they would like us to promote during the time of their ad. We are there for them. What I have found however, is that, people either think we are too new, have not heard of us before, or do not realize the value we offer not only our readers, but our advertisers as well. What do I want? While I love our magazine, and it wouldn’t be where it is today without the help of Pete and Blake, ideally, I would like this magazine to be THE magazine for our neck of the woods. I would like more local stories, more stories on non profits. more input from our readers and eventually I would like to take it to a monthly magazine. However, in order to do that, I need more time and more advertisers. If given a full year of doing this full time, I am sure this would become the number one magazine in the area and our readers would really feel like they played a part in making this their magazine. I am part of this community and I want to show off just how great our community is as well. However, in order for me to get there, I will need backing and the time to do it. I will need business to see that this is the magazine they want to advertise in. So I need your help. If you have a comment (good or bad) about the magazine, an idea on a future story, or know someone who would benefit from advertising with us I would love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to call me at 704.719.0979 or email me at Katie@CityUnwrapped.com. Katie www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 5
ing n pe ? p a ry H a s ’ u t n ha Ja W in
Fun Facts about January • According to the census information, January is the 3,265th most popular girl’s name in the United States. • January is named after the Roman god Janus, who was always shown as having two heads. He looked back tothe last year and forward to the new one. • The first Superbowl game was played on January 15, 1967. (The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 35 - 10.) • The first heart transplant was performed on January 24, 1964. • Samuel Morse first demonstrated the telegraph on January 6, 1838.
January Holidays and Observations Get Organized Month National Soup Month Oatmeal Month National Clean Up Your Computer Month National Stalking Awareness Month National Polka Music Month Bald Eagle Appreciation Days 18 - 19 National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week 17th - 23rd No Name Calling Week 20th - 24th
January 1 - New Year’s Day January 8 - Bubble Bath Day January 11 - Learn Your Name in Morse Code Day January 13 - Rubber Duckie Day January 16 - Get to Know Your Customers Day January 20 - Penguin Awareness Day January 27 - Holocaust Memorial Day January 27 - Seeing Eye Dog Day January 31 - Chinese New Year
January Quote “Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow; The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true.” Lord Tennyson Alfred
January Birthstone Garnet
Things to Do in January Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration 2014 Sunday, January 19 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm Levine Museum of the New South
January Flower
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Join us for two days honoring the pursuit of civil and human rights through film, performances, children’s crafts and exhibition. Free admission to the Museum Sunday and Monday!
Snowdrop or Carnation
10th Annual Greater Charlotte Home & Landscape Show Friday, Jan 24, 2014 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, Harrisburg, NC
Discover great ideas for your home and landscape. Meet the stars of Animal Planet’s “Tanked!”. Wayde King and Brett Raymer will appear Saturday and Sunday. High quality exhibits and educational seminars will provide great inspiration for your home and garden.
Art Walk
Friday, Jan 31, 2014 6:00 pm Downtown Concord, NC Artists gather throughout downtown Concord at The Galleries and in participating shops, restaurants, and private galleries, over one hundred artists participate in this free event. www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 6
Does your community, church, or business have a special event or festival coming up? If so, send the information to: info@cityunwrapped.com for consideration to be published in our next issue.
Meet Gabby!
How Can You Help?
The newest addition at Suzie’s Pride! Gabby was born July 3, 2013. She was a photo cub and came to Suzie’s Pride after needing a safe place to live. She is quickly adjusting to her loving environment and has a fun personality. You see, Suzie’s Pride is a Sanctuary and Rescue for big cats. It is a no-kill, no-breed facility for unwanted, abused, and neglected big cats from private owners, commercial entities, zoos and other sanctuaries. A place where the cats have can live out their days in a compassionate, respectful environment with proper care and enables them to have a good quality of life. Suzie’s Pride is generally not open to the public, however they do have special events throughout the year, including Christmas time and Easter. Each month they also have an Open House which is free to the public as well as a paid event which is a behind the scenes look at the sanctuary.
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As a non profit, Suzie’s Pride receives no money from any State or Federal agency and is supported by donations and their own money. The cost to feed the cats runs in the thousands every month, and that is just to feed them. That does not include their medical care, facility updates or anything else. You can support Suzie’s Pride by heading to their website: www.SuziesPride.org and click the “How to Help” tab. They also take cash donations that are tax deductible and you can even “adopt” one of the cats (which gives you a behind the scenes look at the facility)! Or, to see what Suzie’s Pride is really about, head on over to one of their next events! Suzie’s Pride 4597 Cook Road Rockwell, North Carolina 28138 www.SuziesPride.org
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Fun Facts about February • February is the only month that can pass without a full moon. This last happened in 1999 and will next happen in 2018. • On February 6, 1933, Amendment 20 to the United States was proclaimed which moved the Inauguration Day to January 20th. • On February 6, 1952, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. • February is the most misspelled of all the months.
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• On February 10, 1962, Astronaut John Glen Jr. became the first American to orbit the earth.
February Quote
February Holidays and Observations
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month looks like work.” National Black History Month ~ Thomas Alva Edison (Born Feb. 11) Bake for Family Fun Month Grapefruit Month National Bird Feeding Month National Hot Breakfast Month Responsible Pet Owners Month Amethyst Winter Olympics 7th - 16th Jell-O Week 9th - 15th National Pancake Week 9th - 15th Great Backyard Bird Count 14th - 17th
February Birthstone
February 1 - Ice Cream for Breakfast Day February 2 - Groundhog Day February 7 - Bubble Gum Day February 9 - National Stop Bullying Day February 14 - Valentine’s Day February 17 - President’s Day February 24 - National Cupcake Day February 22 - George Washington’s Birthday February 26 - For Pete’s Sake Day
Things to Do in February 8th Annual One Stop Shop Hop
February Flower
Saturday, Feb 15, 2014 9:00 am to 4:00 pm University of South Carolina - Lancaster, SC
Violet
There will be quilting fabric, fiber arts, buttons, vintage linens, threads, embellishments, felted wool, and more! The event will also include door prizes, fresh baked goods, fabulous vendors and drawings for prizes!
Underground Railroad Adventure February 22, 2014 10 am - 4pm Latta Plantation
Does your community, church, or business have a special event or festival coming up? If so, send the information to: info@cityunwrapped.com for consideration to be published in our next issue.
Learn about the characters, dangers, and triumphs of an escaped slave on the underground railroad as you go on a scavenger hunt around the plantation to find the supplies, skills, and knowledge you would need to successfully escape to freedom. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and students, ages 5 and under free.
Showcase of Woodcarvings 2014
Sunday, Feb 23, 2014 10:00 am to 3:30 pm Marion Dielh Rec Center Charlotte, NC The Charlotte Woodcarvers Club in Charlotte, NC will be hosting its 31st, “Showcase of Woodcarvings 2014”. Over 700 carvings in competition and on display. Vendors, mini-seminars, raffles. Free admission and family friendly.
www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 8
Valentine’s Day Plant, Not Flowers Buy a plant instead of roses. Why? It is a gift they can enjoy year after year.
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Food Start the day off with some heart shaped pancakes using a cookie cutter. Send a heart shaped sandwich, heart shaped fruit, heart shaped sugar cookie and a sweet Valentine in your little one’s lunch box. There’s nothing that says love like a homemade chocolate cake, brownie, or cookies. For Valentine’s Day, why not make it more special by making heart-shaped cookies, brownies, or a cake?
Have a scavenger hunt
Dinner Eat at home! You can make a fabulous steak dinner for a fraction of the cost of most restaurant meals on Valentine’s Day or, if the thought of cooking on Valentine’s ruins the mood completely, then go out for lunch instead of dinner, the menu prices are usually less expensive.
Place little hearts all over with reasons why you love them written on the note. Give them a hint on each note where they can find the next one. At the last note, have a little stuffed animal or a small box of Hershey’s or Reese’s chocolates waiting for them. Gather up all the sweet notes so they can keep them in a scrapbook to look at later.
Make a Gift – The Jar of Love This is one of the simplest gifts you will ever give your significant other and yet it will most likely become one of the most treasured.
Move the Date There is no rule that says you have to go out to dinner exactly on February 14th. Go out on a different night to take advantage of weekly specials that some restaurants offer.
Movie Night You can go to the nearby Redbox and rent some movies for a buck or two a piece. Add some extra special treats like chocolate covered gourmet popcorn to make it a home-theater “experience.”
Cards Make your own card! Valentine’s Day cards can easily run 5.00 or more and the thought behind making your own card is worth way more than that! Or, how about writing an old-fashioned love letter to your sweetie!
Use colored paper or construction paper to write short messages to fill a small glass preserve jar. The messages can be funny, be a memory, or they can as simple as “I love the way you hug me”. www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 9
gifts. It is also thought that Charles, Duke of Orleans, sent the first real Valentine card to his wife in 1415, when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. Some say St. Valentine, was a Roman martyred for refusing to give up his Christian faith. He was apprehended and sent to Rome where he refused to renounce his faith. The judge commanded him to be put to death and he was executed on February 14, about the year 270 AD.
The History of
St. Valentine’s Day St. Valentine’s Day brings to mind gifts, hearts, love, cards, candy, and a big deal in the retail and card environment. As a matter of fact, it has been estimated that Valentine’s Day spending ranks second in sales to Christmas. It also ranks second to Christmas in card giving. Have you ever thought about why or when this holiday became important?
It is also said there could have been more than one St. Valentine! The second St. Valentine is believed to have been a priest during the reign of Claudius II. Claudius had a hard time getting soldiers to fight his wars, so he forbid young men from marrying. Valentine disagreed with the emperor and performed secret marriages. When Claudius discovered Valentine’s actions, he threw the priest in jail. In this belief, Valentine was also executed on February 14. And yet another theory is that the ancient Romans dedicated February 14 as a day of love. On that day, Romans honored Juno, the goddess of women and marriage. If they praised Juno, Romans believed that the goddess would help young men and women find their future wives and husbands. On February 14, the boys each drew a girl’s name from a container. When all the girls’ names were picked the next day, each boy paired up with the girl whose name he chose for another holiday to honor the god Lupercus. Older adults hoped that each pair of boys and girls would fall in love during the festival.
The history of St. Valentine’s Day is a little fuzzy. St. Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate Saint Valentine and what he believed in and stood for. The problem is, no one exactly knows who St. Valentine is! The history behind Saint Valentine is so murky, in 1969, the Catholic Church removed St. Valentine’s Day from the Roman calendar of official, worldwide Catholic feasts. However, there are a couple of different theories on who St. Valentine was and why we celebrate that day. One theory is that during the Middle Ages, in Europe it was believed that birds chose their partners in the middle of February. Thus the Valentine’s Day was dedicated to love and people observed it by writing love letters and sending small Confused yet? Me too. It would be nice to know what the real history is, but it is also fascinating to see all the theories out there about St. Valentine and St. Valentine’s Day. Whatever the truth may be, today, the purpose of Valentine’s Day is supposed to be a dedicated day to show the people you love just how much you love them. While gifts, candy, and flowers are nice, a hand written note or poem would suffice as well. Or even, just an extra “I love you” on Valentine’s Day to tell the ones you love just how much they mean to you. www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 10
A Loving Heart & Helping Hands By Charles Cabler
As a general rule, the Christmas season brings us joy and happiness seldom experienced any other time during the year. We visit with friends and family in the warm glow of a fire with hot apple cider and holiday cookies as we sing songs and give best wishes. We also think about those less fortunate, which cultivates within us a heightened sense of responsibility. We therefore, give to others out of our humanitarian concern, giving us a good feeling. Unfortunately for many people that good feeling will fade as they settle back into the day-to-day routine. It is not unusual for us to lose an interest in being benevolent after Christmas and fail to remember that people need help not only during the holidays, but throughout the year. Additionally, in this time of economic and financial crisis, many of us tend to focus only on our own situation and forget about the needs of others. Although our personal situation may not be the best, it may be better than many others. Being less self-centered and more benevolent minded all year long will help many people. The world will be a better place for all mankind, only if we care enough to help. Jack McDowell describes this caring attitude in his book There’s More to Life Than Making a Living with this admonition: “invest in a life of significance more than climbing the ladder of success.” Best selling author Patti Thor explains it this way: “It’s not that successful people are givers, it’s that givers are successful people.” We are the most successful when we give to, and share, with others. I think the humanitarian concern expressed by President and Betty Ford in their 2006 Christmas card sums up the concern we should have for others. It read: “May this Christmas bring more wisdom to the way we look at the world and more love to the way we live in it.” Let’s not forget about the needs of others but have a loving heart and helpful hands as we go through this New Year and all the years to come. Charles E. Cabler, author From: The Chains of Marley Available from Amazon.com © December 2013 Mr. Cabler retired in 2009 after a forty-three year career in the financial services industry. Mr. Cabler remains active conducting Job Search and Career Transition Workshops, writing and training. His latest book, The Chains of Marley, can be found on Amazon and Christianbook.com. www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 11
WinterFest in Blowing Rock, NC January 23 - 26, 2014
Two years ago I had the opportunity to visit Blowing Rock, NC during WinterFest. I have lived here 10 years before visiting Blowing Rock (I know, crazy right?) and when I had the chance to visit in the Winter I jumped at the chance! Plus, it didn’t hurt that I had convinced my husband and son to do the “Polar Plunge” (a WinterFest activity) while we were there. I couldn’t miss that could I? Every year in January, Blowing Rock hosts WinterFest, an annual festival bringing together the elements of fire and ice. Bonfires, toasted marshmallows, warm hospitality and the Chili Cookoff provide the fire, while the Polar Plunge, ice carving, winter temperatures and skiing/snowboarding provide the cold contrast. WinterFest activities, which run between Thursday, January 23 and Sunday, January 26, are designed to appeal to day-trippers and overnight guests alike, with family activities a major focus of the 16th annual celebration. Notable events and activities include the Chili Cookoff, Polar Plunge, Winterfeast, Hayrides, Bonfires, Shop ‘Til You Drop, ice carving, Winter Paws dog show, concerts and the WinterFashion show. While there are activities on every day, we went on a Friday night, which was kind of a bummer since we missed so many of the activities, but we arrived about 7 pm and stayed at the Cliff Dwellers Inn. We loved that place! The rooms were big, the hospitality was awesome and the views were breathtaking! We went straight to sleep though because we had to get up early in the morning for the Polar Plunge! Why yes, my son, who was 12 at the time, and my husband both agreed to do the Polar Plunge! It was FREEZING outside, 30 degrees as a matter of fact. And the water temperature at Chetola Lake? 45 nice and toasty degrees....Brrrrrr. You would not believe the amount of people who participate in the Polar Plunge www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 12
at WinterFest. I was so surprised to see the long line of people waiting....to jump...into...ice...cold....water. I think I will remain a joyful, but dry, spectator. But Reece and Mel jumped! I was so proud of them! This Year: Saturday January 25th, 2014 10am Watch the fearless contenders take the Plunge into Chetola Lake. The #1 spectator sport in Blowing Rock. Don’t miss it! New Polar Plungers are welcome. It costs only $25 to jump. Proceeds to benefit Watauga Humane Society and Western Youth Network.
Immediately following the Polar Plunge we headed to the Chili Cook-Off. MMMMM….MMMMM…Good! I do not know how many chili’s were actually entered into the cook off, but there was a lot, so much in fact, I couldn’t even taste them all. Someone even had a Chocolate Chili! On top of the wonderful tasting event, they also had a live band playing! This year: CHILLY CHILI COOKOFF! D-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! Saturday January 25th, 2014 11am-2pm-ish. Taste a wide variety of chili! Restaurants, businesses and individuals will be serving up spicy or mild, chunky and smooth for your tasting pleasure. Located at the Blowing Rock School Gymnasium on Morris Street. Tickets available at the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, online, or at the door. This is a fundraiser to buy playground equipment for the elementary school. After getting nice and toasty from the chili, we headed over to Memorial Park to watch the Ice Sculpting Demonstra-
tion! These guys were sculpting huge ice blocks into beautiful pieces of art. At one point one of the sculptors put on a helmet because he said last year he was knocked out by a piece of ice. That is what I call dedication.
off 221, approx. 6 miles outside of Blowing Rock). Enjoy games, prizes, a snowdog building contest, hot chocolate and cookies. Call 828-295-9861 for details and directions.
This Year: Saturday, January 25th, 2014 Noon - 4pm This year watch the US Army Special Forces Ice Carving Team turn blocks of ice into enchanting works of art. FREE - Downtown Blowing Rock - Memorial Park.
BLOWING ROCK ART AND HISTORY MUSEUM - $3 discount on regular adult admission during WinterFest.
HOT CHOCOLATE – 10am Downtown Blowing Rock
HAY RIDES -11am Downtown Blowing Rock - Brought to you by Country Boy Landscaping, pickup/load at the Blowing Rock Chamber 132 Park Ave. On our way home the next day, of course we had to stop at The Blowing Rock attraction. It is not a visit to Blowing Rock unless you visit its namesake, the Blowing Rock!
There was so much to do at WinterFest in Blowing Rock, it was hard to decide what to do next. Go on a hayride? Dancing, face painting, or snowflake creation for the kids? Check out the raffle and silent auction? Wine Tasting? “Minute to Win It” game show? Decisions, decisions. We finally decided to have dinner. After dinner though, we headed back to Memorial Park where there was a bonfire. All the supplies were provided to make yummy s’mores! I could not have thought of a better way to end the day.
Other events this year: Saturday January 25th, 2014 CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES -11am - 3pm Parents are invited to accompany their children for activities such as crafts, reading and more. Activities scheduled in the Blowing Rock Recreation Center beside Memorial Park behind the Police Dept. Brought to you by High Country Girl Scouts. And yes! Girl Scout Cookies will be available for purchase! CROSS-COUNTRY SKI & SNOW EQUIPMENT EXHIBITION - 10am - 5pm Join Blowing Rock Realty and SweetGrass for a cross-country ski and snow equipment exhibition on the beautiful grounds of SweetGrass in Blowing Rock (just
If you have the time, I would highly recommend WinterFest in Blowing Rock. It was such a wonderful adventure for our entire family, I cannot wait to go back.
Winterfest 2014 Activities
For a full schedule of events, visit: blowingrockwinterfest.com/schedule.php. New in 2014: Thursday, Jan 23, 5–7 p.m.: Cocoa and Canvas at Blowing Rock Art and History Museum: A fun, two-hour art class with a take-home painting for adults and children over 10. Cost, $40 per person. Friday, Jan 24, 8 p.m., Chillin’ With the King Bees at Blowing Rock School Auditorium: The King Bees have rocked their blues in Rome, New York City & Amsterdam. Their deep love of the genre, keen musical sensibilities and pure pleasure in performing shine through. Cost: $10 Friday, Jan 24, WinterFest Family Night at Appalachian Ski Mountain: Learn to ski or snowboard from the experts at the French-Swiss Ski College with special WinterFest pricing. Includes an ice skating session with S’mores and roasting by the rink-side bonfire. Saturday, Jan 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m.: Fire & Ice at Meadowbrook Inn: A cocktail party featuring a roaring fire, ice & vodkas, models in furs and an array of diamonds for sale. Heavy hors d’oeuvres, cash bar. $25 in advance, $35 at the door. For more information or ticket purchases, visit blowingrockwinterfest.com or call 877.295.7801. www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 13
An Interview with a Home-Brewer
How do you get your beer in bars? What bars/restaurants has your beer been in? You will have to find a brewery to brew it due to taxes and licensing. Win a competition or know the brewers. The beer we brewed at Olde Mecklenburg was in the Brauhaus there and bars across Charlotte. It was a onetime release so it’s not available anymore.
I have heard about people brewing their own beer (or ale or are they the same thing?) at home before, but I never realized how many people actually do it, how popular it is or even the fact that there are local contests for home brewers! I had a chance to sit down with Joe Domm, an automotive technician by day, but home brewer by night, to get a little insight into the world of home brewing. Joe has been home-brewing since 2011 and is a member of Carolina Brewmasters in Charlotte.
What are your brewing plans for next year?
Why did you start home-brewing?
This was my first year of competing, so far I have won 4 ribbons with 3 beers. 1st place for Kolsch in the Charlotte US open, which also won the Olde Mecklenburg Brewery’s Rein Stein competition. 2nd place for American barleywine and 2nd place for Belgian Golden Strong in the Skirmish at the triad competition in Greensboro, NC.
I started home-brewing when I started drinking better beer and got interested in how it was made. Once I started, I found I was fascinated by the process and science of brewing. Some people get discouraged by a not so great first batch, but I started a quest to brew better beer.
Where do you brew and ferment? Does your home-brewing enterprise have a name? I brew in the garage and for fermenting, I have a 4cu ft fridge in the laundry room with a temp controller and a chest freezer with a temp controller in the garage. I call it Domm Brauhaus and Garage because that is simply what it is.
What are your favorite styles to brew? I like to brew everything! From Kolsches to porters to Big hoppy Red ales.
Do you keg, or are you still bottling? Keg, then bottle off the kegs for sharing and/or aging.
What names have you given your beers? I haven’t named many beers, but I recently brewed an Imperial red ale I called The Hop Locker due to the fact that I was using a ton of hops and pretty much cleaning out the freezer (The Hop Locker) of open hop bags. I also made a Belgian Golden Strong I called Dommnation as a play on Russian River’s Damnation (a top beer of that style).
Any bad batches? The first few were not great, but drinkable. I do think there were some bottle bombs in one of those batches. I started with a Mr. Beer kit my wife got me but one of the main issues is that it sat in the garage for several months before I got around to trying it. I’m sure they would have been better if the ingredients were fresh and an adequate amount of healthy yeast was pitched. I still have batches that I am not thrilled with but most of my friends say I am too critical. www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 14
Be a better brewer, upgrade equipment and nail down a consistent process. Just brewed my first lager and plan on more next year.
Do you plan on entering any competitions? I entered 4 competitions this year and plan on more next year.
Any awards from past competitions?
Just recently in December, I won 3 more ribbons: 1st for a Kolsch, 1st for a Belgian Blonde and 2nd for an American Barleywine. I also won the Rookie of the Year award from the Carolina Brewmasters
Any advice you’d like to give other home-brewers? Join the American Homebrewers Association. Get active in a local club and learn as much as possible. Brew as much as possible and learn from your mistakes. You have to be open to criticism and strive to be better. Brew days won’t always be smooth sailing. A storm may pop up but as long as you know how to “right the ship” and steer through it everything will work out.
Answer this: When I’m not home-brewing, I cook a mean....? BBQ on the smoker.
www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 15
4 Weeks 4 Simple Steps to a Healthier New You in 2014!
by Kim Grabinski
It’s inevitable. The New Year. It comes upon us like a raging bull right after Christmas. Just as we have loosened our belts because of our indulgences during the holiday season, we start to feel guilty. And we begin to have delusions of grandeur plotting creative schemes to change our lives. • We resolve to lose weight. • We vow to get in shape. • We promise to eat better. And so on. And we do. For about a week and a half. Then reality hits and our cold-turkey, change-our-lives plans begin to seem daunting and impossible. Some people can make 180 degree changes in their lives without looking back, but for many of us, committing to many huge changes all at once is just setting us up for failure. We need baby steps. We need a plan. We need manageable bite-sized pieces that we can implement one at a time towards a collective goal. There are 4 elements to taking control of your health and fitness, each one unique in its own way and each one able to be broken down even further if necessary: your mind, what you drink, what you eat, and the physical shape of your body.
Week 1: Change your mind It’s one thing to want to change. It’s quite another to believe that you can. Spend this first week on motivation and planning. Commit yourself to the understanding that everything is a choice and it is within your power to change. It sounds like psychobabble but the reality is that our minds can sabotage our success. Whether it is being lazy, lacks self-esteem, or any other number of reasons, our internal thoughts often cause us to doubt our ability to change. Don’t let them. The goal this week is confidence.
Week 2: Change your drink Now that you have your mind set and are confident that you can make these changes, the next thing to do is to evaluate what you drink every day. Very few people would argue that soda is healthy. Diet or www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 16
otherwise. It is filled with sugar or chemicals that replace sugar, and is linked to obesity, osteoporosis and a myriad of other medical problems. It is a chemical cocktail that does nothing more than confuse your body and keeps it from working properly. This week focuses on removing those drinks that you have every day that you know are not good for you. Soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, fancy coffee-shop coffees, etc. Whatever your vice is, remove it. Instead, indulge in fruit-infused water and unsweetened iced tea. If you like coffee, add real cream or half & half and if you must add sweetener use something less processed like honey or even stevia if you can’t quit the sugar cold turkey. This is about making long-term changes and sometimes each step needs its own set of baby steps within it. The goal this week is to reduce or remove your sugar intake and eliminate artificial ingredients in what you drink.
Week 3: Change your food You’ve gained confidence. You improved your choice of drinks, now you need to take an honest look at your diet. This is probably one of the hardest parts of getting healthy. Most often, however, it is about routine. Convenience. We are used to having things fast and easy. But fast and easy comes with a price. Fast and easy is filled with artificial preservatives, sugars and generally is lacking in the nutrients your body needs to function properly. What do you eat regularly that could be contributing to an unhealthy diet? Fast food? Candy bars? Boxed or frozen meals? What are you lacking in your diet that your body needs? Vegetables? Fruit? Lean protein? This week, focus on removing artificial ingredients from your diet. Don’t know what’s in it or can’t identify an ingredient? Don’t eat it. You would actually be surprised how many alternatives you can find to mainstream junk food. There is even a natural version of those popular cheese puffs in the snack aisle that are made without anything artificial. Even the coloring is natural. Instead of margarine, use real butter. Cook with olive oil or coconut oil. Choose fresh food over processed when possible and really focus on the quality of your food. Don’t bother counting calories, simply increasing the fresh food and produce in your diet and eliminating anything artificial will go a long way towards improving your health.
As a bonus you may find yourself shedding pounds too.
Oven Roasted Seasoned Potatoes - Gluten Free
The goal this week is to remove food-like products from your diet and introduce fresh, real foods as a replacement.
Week 4: Change your body 1. Confidence, check. 2. No sugar-filled or chemical-filled drinks, check. 3. Healthier diet with increased nutrients, check. Now comes the fun part. Start moving. If you are fairly sedentary, just start walking every day. Any little bit will help but make it structured. Start with just 10 minutes a day. Every day. Outside, on the treadmill, walk in place, it doesn’t matter. Just move. Start increasing the time as the weeks go by. Begin to add other things such as calisthenics, swimming, biking, etc. Find something you love and do it as much as you can. Find a friend if you can to help support and motivate you to keep moving. The goal this week is to move your body more to get your heart rate up for both calorie burning and cardiovascular health.
Week 5 and beyond: Stay the course Don’t give up now! It takes 21 days to make a habit, so keep plugging away making better choices and staying active. Should you decide to allow yourself to splurge, don’t use the word “cheat” because it implies that you are doing something wrong. If you want a special treat now and again, take charge of that decision and enjoy it. Don’t be that person sitting in the closet eating cupcakes where no one can see, feeling guilty and ashamed. In the first week you took control of your destiny and the choice to indulge is just another decision in your journey to a healthy mind and body. Owning that choice will make you stronger in the long run. You can approach these 4 steps as a series, each time tackling just one issue at a time. For example, if you drink soda and sports drink regularly and eat fast food and donuts daily but can’t see yourself going cold turkey, simply follow each step eliminating one unhealthy thing at a time. Rinse, then repeat. Don’t focus on your weight during this time either. You can weigh yourself but just know that you will see and feel other signs such as more energy and clearer skin but it may not reflect on the scale right away. Be patient. A healthy lifestyle is not about being perfect. It’s about living your life to the fullest while making better choices for your health. Health goes beyond weight to a greater sense of wellbeing. Mind and body working together to allow you to enjoy life but also help to make sure your life is as long and illness-free as possible.
Ingredients 3 lbs potatoes (any kind we used about 75% sweet potatoes, 25% white potatoes) 2 tbsp dried minced onion (or a small whole diced onion) 6 cloves minced garlic 6 tbsp melted butter 5 tbsp olive oil 1-1/2 tsp salt 1-1/2 tsp black pepper ⅓ cup fresh herbs (packed tightly) or ¼ cup dried herbs (any combination you like, we used equal parts dill weed, Italian seasoning, and all-purpose seasoning which contains: marjoram, sage, paprika, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, basil & thyme) Instructions Preheat oven to 450 degrees Cut raw potatoes into 1 to 1-1/2 inch cubes Butter a shallow pan or baking dish (or line with foil) Place potatoes in dish Sprinkle herbs over potatoes Melt butter and mix with oil, garlic, salt & pepper in a small bowl and drizzle over potato and herb mixture 7. Bake 45-60 minutes, stirring frequently until potatoes are browned and tender. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Kim is a professional blogger at What’s That Smell? (www.theysmell. com) where she shares her passion for living naturally through parenting, health and food. She is also a 40-something mother of two and an advocate for real food. She strives to educate others about the effects of chemicals in our food and household products. Kim also enjoys staying active with her family and isn’t afraid to get a little sweaty. www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 17
Turning a Bad Report Card Into Hope for Struggling Learners Report cards. Seldom have two words caused such anxiety for both students and parents. For some, poor grades can reflect feelings of inadequacy (as a student or a parent), worries about being held back a grade, or fears of not getting into a good college. Who’s to blame for learning struggles? For parents, these fears often manifest as blame; blame on the student, the teacher or themselves. And while the assumptions that less-than-stellar grades are a reflection of poor teaching, lack of intelligence or laziness on the part of the student, or poor parenting, they are almost always untrue. The truth is, most bad report cards are just a reflection of a struggling learner, many of who have an above-average IQ. That’s because IQ is simply an average of the combined strength of all our cognitive skills – the underlying tools we need to successfully focus, think, prioritize, plan, understand, visualize, remember, solve problems and create useful association. They include things like attention, visual and auditory processing, memory, logic and reasoning, and processing speed.
learning easier, faster and even FUN! So how do you strengthen weak cognitive skills? Cognitive skills training (also known as “brain training”) uses intensive, one-on-one programs to tackle the source of learning struggles and fix them with permanent solutions. Effective brain training customizes programs based on the results of an initial cognitive skills assessment and uses exercises founded on years of clinical and scientific research. Unlike tutoring which is academic-based, brain training is skills-based. While tutoring can be effective when a student has fallen behind in specific subjects (such as history) due to an illness, injury or family move, cognitive skills training improves the underlying skills needed to perform tasks (like reading) to make learning easier in any subject. Cognitive skills training physically changes the connections It’s very common for a student to have an average or in the brain and it works for all learning disabilities: dyslexia above-average IQ score and a learning problem at the same (“trouble with words”), ADD, ADHD, dyscalculia (“trouble time. For example, a child who struggles with reading may with numbers”), and certain autism spectrum disorders, have a severe deficiency in the sound blending and phoneincluding Asperger’s syndrome. In fact, because brain trainmic awareness (two subskills of auditory processing), and ing treats the root cause – not the symptoms – of learning be well above average in other cognitive abilities. When struggles, it can make anyone a stronger learner. From you lump it all together and average it out, it’ll look like athletes looking for the mental edge and senior citizens there’s no problem because the IQ score is average. In fact, fighting age-related cognitive decline, to soldiers and stroke that score is masking what could be a serious problem. victims fighting the effects of traumatic brain injury, cogniWhat about genetics? tive skills training is changing lives by changing brains. It’s not surprising that parents who struggled in school Let cognitive skills training change your child’s future by often experience anxiety over their children’s report cards. making learning easier. Make this your child’s last bad While it’s likely that most of the concern stems from the report card. Take the first step toward helping your child parent’s hope for their child to get better grades than become a more efficient, effective and confident learner by they did, another fear is that they’ve somehow genetically having their cognitive skills assessed. You have nothing to passed on their learning struggles. lose and a future of better report cards to gain! Certainly, genetics can contribute to a small part of learnDuring the month of February, bring in your child’s lessing struggles (like reading difficulties); but the majority of than-stellar report card and get a discounted cognitive learning struggles are simply the result of weak cognitive skills assessment (a $199 value!). skills. Students with ADHD, for example, tend to have weak LearningRX Charlotte selective, divided and/or sustained attention. Even learning 704-499-8888 struggles that are inherited don’t need to be lifelong labels or diagnoses; cognitive skills can be strengthened to make See ad page 2. www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 18
According to Betsy. Real Views from a Middle Schooler
How to Get Good Grades Hey, it’s Betsy again. Today I am going to tell you how to get good grades. I am in Middle school and sometimes it’s hard getting the grades you want. All you have to do to get good grades is follow these steps. First of all, you absolutely have to study! Tests are a huge part of your grade and you have to study for those tests to get the grade you want. I recommend using flashcards. Put a question on one side and the answer on the other. This way, you can study by yourself or with someone else. Second, pay attention in class! If you are playing around or talking in class while the teacher is teaching, you may not hear what the teacher said or misunderstand it and get an answer wrong on a test or homework. Third, always do your homework! Doing homework is important. Even if it is only a couple of homework assignments, if you didn’t do them, it will still bring your grade down a lot. Who knows? Missing one homework assignment change your A grade to a B grade. Last but not least, always be on time. You might miss an important past of class and get a really bad grade on your est only because you missed a few minutes of class. Thanks for listening to According to Betsy, see you next time! What about you? How do you make sure you get good grades??
Betsy
Have a question for Betsy? Or maybe something you want her to write about? If so, send your questions or comments to: Info@CityUnwrapped.com with ‘According to Betsy’ in the subject line.
www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 19
Coloring Super Stars! Thank you for submitting your coloring pages from the November/December issue! We can’t wait to see your pictures from this issue!
www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 20
‘Beary’ Happy
Coloring page reprinted with permission from http://www.freeprintablecoloringpages.net/ Color the picture and send it to: City Unwrapped - Attn: Color 13016 Eastfield Rd Ste 231 Huntersville, NC 28078 Pictures selected to be published are determined by the order in which they were received, so get your pictures in quickly! We will do our best to make sure all pictures submitted are at least published on CityUnwrapped.com.
Name: _________________________________ Age _____ City: __________________________________ *Email Address: ___________________________________ * Email address is only needed if you want us to let you know if your child’s picture was published.
www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 21
Featured Pet ‘Casey’
A smiling Lab will melt your heart! We first saw Casey on the Lucky Lab Rescue website in February, 2013. She was in foster care and not ready for adoption at that time. In March we received an update on Casey; she was suspected to be deaf, heartworm positive, and her back legs were quite lame. LLR asked if we would be interested in adopting a lab with such health issues . . . our response: of course. Finally, in late April, we were able to meet Casey and her foster family. Casey had a big smile on her face as she walked up the driveway to meet us. The LLR Coordinator informed us of Casey’s background; she was only 42 pounds and her back legs were atrophied from being in a crate that was much too small for her frame.
This is “before” Casey. Still, we wanted to add Casey to our home and adopted her on April 28. Casey’s road to recovery is still ongoing; she has had two surgeries to remove tumors and remains heartworm positive. But she now weighs a healthy 72 pounds and walks for an hour every night. She knows no strangers and greets everyone with her big smile and happy eyes. Casey has taught us so much about forgiveness, patience, and gratefulness. For Casey and us there is no looking back to the past . . . we live each day to share the love that only a Lab can bring to your heart. Shelly & Glen
Want Your Pet Featured? If you would like the chance to have your pet featured in a future issue of City Unwrapped, please email your pet photo and story to: Info@CityUnwrapped.com.
This is the “after” Casey. www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 22
Beautiful, loving Labradors and Lab Mixes available for adoption. Why buy a puppy when you can save a life instead? Phone: 704.344.8855 Website: www.luckylabsrescue.com
Socks is looking for her “furever’ home!
Socks is in a foster home with another dog, a cat, and young kids. Socks is house trained, crate trained, super sweet, great house guest, just a super girl that would ADOPTION fit into almost any home! Socks doesn’t jump when she If you’re considering rescue but are unsure what’s meet you just sits for a hug. She loves to go on walks involved, give us a call to learn more and will sit patiently by the door while we put on her (with NO obligation). leash. She enjoys being out of doors and will thrive in a FOSTER home with a fenced in back yard. She is fairly quiet and The more foster homes we have, the more dogs we can rarely barks. save from certain death at local shelters. Let us Interested? Contact us at: explain the process to you! 704.344.8855
www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 23
www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 24
Accidents Happen! Tips For Cleaning the Carpet and Upholstery When you own a pet, accidents happen. You leave
the house clean and tidy, but when you come home and open the door, you are struck by an odor that says something has gone terribly wrong. Thoroughly cleaning pet stains from carpet and upholstery can be a difficult and time consuming chore, but doing it correctly is worth the extra effort. A half-baked cleanup job will not only make your home look and smell dirty but areas that have lingering dog waste or urine will attract your pet back to the same spot, where he will go again—and again—and again! To clean urine from carpets and upholstery: • Clean from the outside inward, using a dry towel to initially blot up as much urine as possible. • Next, rinse the area with water to dilute the remaining urine. • Repeat the first step to blot up as much urine and water as possible. • Finally, apply an enzyme solution to eliminate odors and marks/stains. Make sure to use enough of the enzyme solution to penetrate the carpet fibers, pad, and all areas the urine may have penetrated. To clean dog droppings: • If the droppings are solid, pick them up. • If the waste is wet, spray with a product such as Poop-Freeze, which solidifies the waste, and then pick it up. • Next, apply an enzyme cleaner to the area to remove any remaining odors and stains. How Pet Enzyme Cleaners Work: As mentioned above, enzyme deodorizers are highly recommended for cleaning both urine and dog-waste stains. Pet waste and urine contain tremendous amounts of protein, which bacteria love to eat. As bacteria in the waste consume this protein, it creates a foul smell. To eliminate the smell you must eliminate the protein. This is where enzyme deodorizers come in handy, as they contain live micro-organisms that
work to consume protein and put an end to the smell. This article is provided by the experts at DoodyCalls, the nation’s largest pet waste management service provider for homeowners and their communities. Scooping over six million doggie deposits nationwide every year, DoodyCalls is making the world a better place to live, one scoop at a time. DoodyCalls has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Redbook Magazine and Bloomberg Businessweek. For pet owners, DoodyCalls cleans yards and litter boxes. For communities, DoodyCalls cleans common areas and sells, installs and services pet waste stations. To learn more, visit www.doodycalls.com or call 1-800-366-3922. Copyright © 2012 by DoodyCalls.
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1.800.DoodyCalls (366.3922) www.DoodyCalls.com www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 25
How To Show Love to Your Furry Family Members There are a lot of ways you can show your pet how much you love them. The best part is that it is completely different for every family. Some people like to dress them up and take them out to visit other people, some dogs like to chase a ball, and some pets are therapy pets to help their people deal with daily tasks. Of course, as a Veterinarian, I want to talk about how to keep our pets healthy. Now, I know it’s not as fun as a bedazzled shirt or as relaxing as a walk in the park, but in my opinion, it is the ultimate show of love. Taking care of the medical, social and physical needs of someone that can’t take care of themselves sounds to me very loving to me. So let’s hit the highlights! Heartworms are not just for dogs anymore! A recent study at our own NC State revealed that 26% of cats that were confirmed heartworm positive (a difficult thing to be sure) were strictly indoor cats. So anyone that thought their mostly indoor dog was off the hook should reconsider. The Heartworm Society (there REALLY is such a group) recommends that all dogs be on heartworm prevention every 30 days, all year long. Especially around here, as they are passed by mosquitoes which are crazy abundant (at least in my back yard). Not to mention that they are carried by wild animals like the coyotes we all see. Your pets heartworm pill or topical also gets rid of any intestinal parasites they have. Nothing says “I love you!” like a parasite free intestinal tract! Flea and tick prevention. There is no excuse to not keep them on flea prevention (and tick prevention if they have
exposure) all year long. It takes 3 weeks of freezing weather to kill fleas, so don’t rely on Mother Nature. Dr. Breitschwerdt at NCSU has been researching Hemobartonella which is contagious to humans and passed by fleas. Not to mention, flea allergies and the itching! Share the love, give them flea and tick prevention! Nutrition, all pets need to be fed. Make sure the majority of their diet is a balanced dog food that meets AAFCO standards…Not the self proclaimed “Dog Food Advisor’s”standards. Seriously, read his Bio- he is a dentist. He considers himself an expert based on the number of reviews he has written. Feed a balanced diet, call your vet if you are confused, don’t listen to the salesperson at the pet store- THEY ARE TRYING TO SELL YOU THE MOST EXPENSIVE FOOD! And don’t overfeed your pets, fattening them up like the witch in Hansel and Gretel is not how you say “I love YOU!” Spay and Neuter. Having watched plenty of first time “Mom dogs” wonder what exactly their body was producing…and listening to them cry out….Just spay your baby. Neutering also prevents testicular cancer, and neutered males are much less likely to get into an altercation with the neighbors dog or a Volkswagon. So, by all means buy the fur babies an outfit, a week at doggie daycare if that is their thing or a nice new bed. But don’t forget, that the gift of health is just as important. Have you been putting off that teeth cleaning? Do you need some heartworm prevention? Not even sure where to start? Call a Veterinarian, keeping your pets healthy is what WE Love to do. So share the love today!
Article contributed by Betsie Condon, Owner and Veterinarian at Highlands Pet Hospital (704) 464-4463 www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Page 26
www.CityUnwrapped.com | January / February 2014 | Pg 27
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