Luke’s Turn to Take the Bow

Janet Cummings, Luke Osteen and Marjorie Christiansen

After 20 years of service, our shy editor is dragged into the spotlight for a round of heartfelt accolades.

Luke Osteen is a national treasure. By magic, fate, or fast-talking, The Laurel managed to snag him almost two decades ago and hasn’t turned loose since. He’s our editor-in-chief, but mostly he’s the super glue that holds us writers together. Let’s read some of his fan mail:

• You can’t help but love Luke, he’s the kindest man I know! Janet Cummings • Luke is our constant – every month playing composer, wrangler, and editor to our indispensable band of contributors and writers – and he makes it all a melody. He is kind, generous, thoughtful – and it’s never an act, it’s not transaction based. It’s his soul, and he offers it freely. We appreciate his words beyond words. And we love him beyond measure. Marjorie Christiansen • It was only by happenstance that I started writing for the Laurel. Three years ago, my life was at a crossroads – my husband had just died; my job no longer rewarding. My discontent must have been evident because at lunch one day with Marjorie Christensen and Amanda Sullivan, they asked me what I wanted to do. I was as surprised as they must have been when I blurted out “I want to write.” It was a wish I had never before articulated. A few days later Marjorie emailed, asking if I was serious. And so it began, my tenure under the inimitable editor Luke Osteen. I have been guided by his wisdom and counsel from my first assignment. When I struggled to find my voice and sought his advice on how to tell a story, he told me, “By listening, really listening, to the rhythm of conversations, you come to grasp the intricacies of how we talk to one another about the things that are important to us, and that can’t help but make your writing more immediate, more passionate. You’re going to become someone that the readers can trust and they’re going to feel your passion and wit in whatever appears on the page.” A few weeks later after reviewing one of my first submissions he wrote back: “Marlene, your copy is wonderful! You clearly get it, you understand the Laurel style! If you’re reading this, stand up and take a bow! Imagine that Marjorie and I are on our feet in front of you, applauding wildly!” His applause has kept me going for three years – ever compassionate when life gets in the way, always there when I am most in need of a pat on the back. So, here’s to you Luke Osteen. It’s your turn to take a bow! Marlene Osteen

• Luke is the most encouraging, enthusiastic, and complimentary editor I have ever experienced – and I’ve been a professional

writer for more than 30 years. He’s always considerate and patient and professional. But I love his clever, humorous statements and questions that make me smile:

“Lace up your running shoes and strap on your helmet!” “Feelin’ frisky?” “I’m flipping stories and pages like a Drunken Juggler in the World’s Saddest Circus.”

I appreciate him very much. Deena Bouknight • A good captain steadies the ship, keeps morale high, handles crises with aplomb and never, ever lets you see them sweat. Luke does all of that for us and always with a smile and a sense of humor. And, on top of that his mastery of the written word gives me something to aspire to. Is there anything Luke can’t do? I haven’t found it yet. Mary McCall • In all things of Luke, there is something of the marvelous. Above, I stole 10 words of Aristotle’s 11. I am not proud of my thievery, but I am extraordinarily proud to call Luke Osteen my editor … while not-so-subtly comparing him to a classic Greek master of all things marvelous. Being an editor requires endless patience. The workload is ginormous. Luke oversees data of Biblical proportions for every issue, and he gets by on only one water tower-full of caffeine per day. Our EIC moves information from the writer’s mind to the reader’s mind. Word spillage is likely – necessary even, if the editor is worth his salt. And Luke is one delightfully salty individual. He’s the spice of our journalistic lives. No one has ever seen it, but the rumor circulating is Luke possesses an Empathic Radio tuned into to each one of us. He knows our frequency for funny. He’s deeply in tune with our concerns; he can turn us 180 with a compliment, a joke, or an insight. And we are better for it. He’s so smooth, we barely know what it was that fine-tuned us. That is a rare gift … to correct someone without ruffling a single feather. It’s one more astonishing feature of the marvelous Laurel Lukeness we all love.

And so it shall be etched in stone:

All things of Luke are marvelous From crown to where metatarsals is

He generates love by jarfuls for us And tweaks our bloopers with artfulness Donna Rhodes

We’re For The Dogs

Dino

It turns out that the Plateau has always been going to the dogs.

This is my dog, Dino. I adopted her from the CashiersHighlands Humane Society four years ago. When I first encountered her, I thought she was a pretty ordinary mutt, the product of a dozen wayward breeds and a hundred improbable rolls of the dice. As you can see, there’s nothing flashy about this dog. She’s obedient and mild mannered among people and other dogs. The people at the Humane Society named her Callie, although she acquired the nickname “Houdini” based on her ability to escape from enclosures, seemingly at will. She’s clearly built for speed and she’ll use her escape artist’s sensibilities to make a run for it whenever possible. I’ve seen her catch rabbits and birds with an almost preternatural efficiency. Dino makes the most of her freedom and you can hear her hoarse yelp far off, as she bounds through the woods with the fleetness of a deer. When she finally comes home, she’s exhausted. But there was something about her no-frills appearance, her quintessential dogginess, that tickled my memory. I knew I’d seen that sort of mutt before.

Finally, I discovered a photograph in the archives of the Highlands Historical Society. A group of hunters in the closing days of the 19th century have returned from a bear hunt proudly displaying their trophy. There, in the midst of these men, separated by a gulf of 120 years, was Dino. It turns out that Dino isn’t a mutt, but a member of a nearly vanished breed called Mountain Cur. You may know the Mountain Cur from the book Old Yeller, although the Disney movie cast a Labrador Retriever in the title role, because they’re bigger and look more impressive onscreen. Mountain Curs were an essential part of the lives of the families that lived in Cashiers and Highlands in the 19th and early 20th centuries. They arrived from England in the 18th century, mixed with dogs belonging to Native Americans and made their way into the hills and hollows of Virginia and Kentucky and Georgia and, of course, the Highlands-Cashiers Plateau. Their quickness and stamina made them perfect for catching small game and running down deer and bear – qualities that could make a life or death difference in a family’s fortunes during the hard months. Like the Cherokee who lived here before them, the early settlers would use these scrappy dogs for

Fred Lenz and Snickers

hauling supplies and chasing prey over rough terrain. With the disappearance of deep rural mountain communities, Mountain Curs nearly vanished as well from American history. It was only a concerted effort in the 1950s that saved the breed from extinction. There were only a few dogs left here in Western North Carolina and some in Oklahoma who’d accompanied the Cherokee along the Trail of Tears. That’s what’s so great about the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society. Each dog and cat in their care has a unique local story to tell. They’re a breathing footnote to the Plateau’s past and a snapshot of the twin communities today. And with a little imagination you can picture these dogs patrolling an isolated family homestead, or these cats curled up in front of a fire during a silent winter’s darkness. Visit the Humane Society and you’ll see what I mean.

While we’re on the subject of local dogs and their place in the community, you can’t ignore the Ugly Dog Pubs in both Highlands and Cashiers. The Dog in Highlands and The Pup in Cashiers offer carefully assembled sandwiches and pub food, craft beers and the fruits of a full bar staffed by trained professionals. But why am I mentioning a pair of pubs in a story about a mutt that turned out not to be a mutt? Because both places welcome dogs of all types, regardless of pedigree or their checkered past. You can both sit outside and luxuriate in the passing people and canines. The Ugly Dog provides a bowl of water. For a dog, it’s like being invited to the most sensational cocktail party ever staged. I suppose if you’re so inclined, you could order a hamburger or hot dog for your canine, but I’ve never done that. This is really nothing new. Highlands and Cashiers have always been accommodating to people and their animals. (In fact, when my son Alex was a toddler we adopted the town dog Artie (he belonged to Deadeye Potts – who won him in a poker game – but Artie had spent two years just wandering around Main Street and sleeping behind The Bird Barn. Artie was such a beloved fixture of downtown that he was named Grand Marshall of the 1988 Olde Mountain Christmas Parade. We were supposed to ride in the back of a fancy hoopty car, but at the last minute the owner decided he didn’t want a big beast messing up his upholstery, so I walked Artie at the front of the parade with Alex in my arms.) I guess if you want a flavor of life on the Plateau 100 years ago, when the lives of people and their dogs were so intertwined, The Ugly Dog is a good place to start.

by Luke Osteen

LIFESTYLES & WELLNESS

Pages 190-206

Lifting Each Other Up

Mary and Steve Abranyi-

Despite years and hundreds of miles apart, the deep love between Mary and Steve Abranyi would not be contained.

Mary and Steve Abranyi are testimony to the adage that old friends make good marriages. Long before they became a couple, they were good friends turned best friends.

Growing up in Winter Haven, Florida, in the late 80s, they were in high school together, socializing in the same group of friends. After graduation Steve went off to college at Western Carolina University and Mary stayed in Florida, at first attending a local community college and later enrolling at Florida Atlantic University. Years went by. In the meantime, Steve became a carpenter and moved again – this time to Colorado, pulled by the lure of snowboarding. Throughout the years they stayed in touch – by phone and letter, and on Steve’s visits home to see family. But the relationship remained casual. In 2000 Mary decided to move to Colorado to room with a former high school friend, and Steve was planning a move to Portland, Oregon. Coincidentally, prior to the intended moves, they were both spending the summer in Winter Haven. And so it was decided that they would ride to Colorado together and that from there Steve would continue to Oregon. Though the two had been best friends for a decade, and despite everything they must have learned about each other in that time, the long days on the road must have made them feel more connected.

Or perhaps it was the absence of the many years apart that ignited the spark between them. Because by the time they got to Kansas they had told each other “I love you.” As Steve said, “We had been friends for so long, we just clicked.”

Steve and Mary Abranyi, 2003

Yet, as Mary tells it, “We were both going in different directions.” And so, it wasn’t until a year later, in June 2001, when Steve visited Mary in Colorado, that they realized they were in love and made it official.

By then Steve had already relocated to Cashiers to help a friend build his parents’ home. The romance progressed quickly from there. Mary joined him in December, and they married in April 2003. The couple, who live in Highlands with their two children, Cameron, 15, and Jasmine, 13 have since built a life around what Mary calls “family life, work life, and play life. We have done a good job of growing in our lives and businesses here and we’ve done it all on our own. We have the same visions and support each other in all aspects of life.” Steve owns Green Mountain Builders and Mary is a real estate professional with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and is the owner of Cashiers Valley Fusion Yoga and Wellness. The couple say that being respectful of each other, honest, and forgiving has been essential in making their relationship last. As Mary describes their bond, “We love each other and like to have fun together. Steve has always been one of my people. He’s always been a good guy and a good person. I trust him, and we lift each other up; we are in support of each other, and we don’t hold each other back or tell one another

what to do.”

Likewise, Steve cites the couple’s teamwork as their biggest strength. When asked what his favorite thing is about Mary, he cites “her sense of humor, and her work ethic.” He’s most proud of “where we’ve come together professionally and that we are still in love with each other through it all.”

We had been friends for so long, we just clicked. by Marlene Osteen

Giving Back to the Community

The need for caring, compassionate volunteers at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital has only grown in the wake of Covid.

We’re excited to be welcoming volunteers back to Highlands-Cashiers Hospital after a pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only do volunteers perform meaningful work and beautification here at the hospital and Eckerd Living Center, they bring a loving spirit that permeates our spaces. We so deeply appreciate that intangible but critical spirit. If you’ve volunteered in the past at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital, we happily welcome you back. If you haven’t volunteered here yet but are looking for a great opportunity to help your community, this is definitely it. And as any volunteer will tell you, the gifts they get back in return from giving their time and energy to our patients and residents is immeasurable. There are a multitude of volunteer opportunities here, depending on what your individual interests and talents are. You can help at our main reception desk, welcoming people and ushering patients to their destinations, assist staff with things such as administrative tasks and distributing reading materials to patients, or work with clinical staff on a range of duties from cleaning a screening machine and restocking supplies to offering a patient some comfort. For volunteers with green thumbs, the Mountain Garden Club keeps the Eckerd Living Center Gardens looking beautiful. The gardens, as you can imagine, offer much healing to our residents and their visitors.

Volunteers also keep residents company and offer important opportunities for them to socialize. I know that our residents have missed interacting with our volunteers and the energy volunteers bring to the facility. Volunteers have even been drafted for calling Bingo games, so the possibilities are endless. We’ve talked many times in this column about how healthcare providers are called to the work, and to truly making a difference in people’s lives. Volunteering at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital gives people who aren’t in healthcare the same opportunity to be rewarded by working with patients and supporting our great healthcare workers. If you’re interested in finding out more about volunteer opportunities with us, visit missionhealth.org/highlands and click on “Volunteer at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital” link. You may also call our Volunteer Coordinator, Jeannie Macleod, at (828) 526-1345. Our volunteer application can be accessed on the website above as well. We will contact you and support you in completing the required activities to become a volunteer. You will be required to complete some pre-volunteer activities which include background checks, health screening, and education. In thinking about ways you can give back to your community, there’s no better choice than to volunteer your time and service to Highlands-Cashiers Hospital and Eckerd Living Center. We deeply appreciate it.

by Tom Neal, CEO/CNO, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital

What To Expect From a Financial Advisor

If you know how important it is to invest for your future, but you’re unsure of the road to follow, you may want to get some guidance and direction from a financial professional. But if you’ve never worked with one before, what can you expect? Here are some things to look for: Assessment – A financial advisor will assess your current financial situation – assets, income, debts and so on – but that’s just the start. These days, advisors recognize the need to view their clients’ lives holistically. Consequently, you will see questions like this: What are your feelings about investing? How would you judge your risk tolerance? What are your individual financial goals? What hopes and dreams do you have for your family? Recommendations – Only after fully understanding your needs, goals, and preferences will a financial advisor recommend any investment moves. There are no “one-size-fits-all” solutions. You may want to steer clear of individuals claiming to be financial advisors who “guarantee” big returns with no risk. In the investment world, there are few guarantees, and every investment carries some type of risk. Communications – Financial professionals communicate with their clients in different ways, but you should always feel free to reach out to an advisor with any questions or concerns. Most financial advisors will want to meet with clients at least once a year, either in person or through an online platform, to review their investment portfolios. During the review, the financial advisor will help you determine if any changes are needed. But financial advisors won’t wait a full year to contact clients to

discuss a particular investment move that might need to be made. Also, depending on the firm you choose, you should be able to go online to review your portfolio at your convenience. Technology – A financial advisor can employ a variety of software programs to help clients. For example, a financial advisor can determine the rate of return you might need to attain specific goals, helping shape your investment strategy. But there are also a lot of “what ifs” in anyone’s life, so an advisor can use hypothetical illustrations to show you where you might end up if you take different paths, such as retiring earlier (or later) than you had planned or putting in more (or less) money toward a specific goal, such as education for your children. Anyone’s plans can change, so the ability to view different potential scenarios can prove valuable. Above all, a financial advisor can help you feel more confident as you pursue your goals. Among investors who work with a financial advisor, 84 percent said that doing so gave them a greater sense of comfort about their finances during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a survey conducted in 2020 by Age Wave and Edward Jones. And during times of market turbulence, such as we’ve experienced this year, a financial advisor can help you avoid overreacting to downturns.

When unexpected events crop up, such as a lapse in employment, a financial advisor can suggest moves that may enable you to avoid major disruptions to your financial strategy. Conversely, when a new opportunity emerges, perhaps from an inheritance or some other windfall, your financial advisor can help you take advantage of it. Navigating the investment landscape can be challenging – but the journey can be a lot smoother if you’ve got the right guide.

This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC

Todd Holder

Solving the Puzzle of Hip and Low Back Pain

Managing low back pain and hip misery requires wise counsel and compassionate care.

Dr. Sue Aery

How do we differentiate between low back pain, sciatica, and hip pain? Well, let’s start with the chiropractor and the many tools we have to help diagnose and solve these issues. Using the information from an exam, the chiropractor will differentiate between hip pain (or pain in the ball and socket joint), and its surrounding components, low back pain (or spinal restriction), and disc herniation or impingement of the sciatic nerve in the buttock. Once the cause is determined, as long as there are no broken bones, treatment can begin. This may involve many aspects of chiropractic care, including some very effective therapies such as Tissue Regeneration Therapy/Stem Cell Activation, acupuncture, and electric stimulation. Chiropractic manipulation may involve balancing of the pelvis, which will remove stress on the hip joint, alleviate pressure on the bursae and tendons that surround the joint and relieve the irritation to the nerves that pass through the buttock and make up the sciatic nerve that can also cause pain in the leg. Soft tissue work such as trigger point and myofascial massage are also two common techniques used, usually by a licensed massage therapist as directed by the doctor. Next, the cause of the pain and dysfunction must be addressed so that it can be removed or remedied for future health. A few common culprits involve leading a sedentary life or sitting too much without stretching and focusing on the complex movements that the normal hip can perform. Remember, the hip is a dynamic joint with many planes of motion. When we deprive the joint of motion, we also limit the amount of blood flow into the joint, thereby accelerating the process of degeneration. Arthritic hip joints are far more prevalent now and many more people face impending replacement surgeries. These can often be avoided with proper preventive care, including chiropractic care. The lumbopelvic complex is intimately connected to the hip joint and should also be well taken care of to improve the skeletal health and prevent premature arthritis and pain. So many pain processes can be avoided with maintenance care. If you plan on leading an active life, or want to return to this lifestyle, it will take some action and diligence to correct the problem and then take better care of your body going forward. As I often tell my patients – let’s use our body the way it was designed to be used well – and often!

by Dr. Sue Aery, Aery Chiropractic & Acupuncture

Halotherapy Salt Room

Cashiers Valley Fusion Yoga and Wellness’s Halotherapy Salt Room is a breath of fresh air in the field of healthy living

Mary Abranyi is the owner of Cashiers Valley Fusion Yoga & Wellness, Bungalow Boutique, and a Real Estate Broker with Berkshire Hathaway.

After a year-long renovation, I am happy to announce that Cashiers Valley Fusion Yoga and Wellness has opened its highly anticipated expansion of services including the area’s first Halotherapy Salt Room. The intention behind the salt room is to provide the Plateau with a state-of-the-art salt therapy experience that provides the pampering of a spa in a low-key wellness studio atmosphere that is open to the public and suitable for all ages. The emergence of halotherapy in the United States has slowly been gaining traction over the past 30-plus years due to its effectiveness as an alternative treatment and remedy for certain respiratory and skin ailments. Inspired by the microclimates of European and Russian salt mines, halotherapy salt rooms are designed to mimic the subterranean salt environment found below the earth’s surface. It is in this environment in the mid 1800s that a Polish physician came to discover a significant difference in the health of salt miners versus that of other types of miners.

This initial discovery, coupled with similar future discoveries led to today’s modern version of dry salt (halo) therapy. Salt therapy utilizes a machine known as a halo (salt) generator to crush pharmaceutical grade salt into tiny particles and disperses a fine mist of salt into a conditioned salt room or a designated salt chamber where you simply relax and breathe. Salt, also known as sodium chloride, is an essential nutrient needed by both plants and animals, including humans, and is particularly known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. This proves to be an important health benefit considering inflammation has been long cited as a symptom of major chronic disease and more recently, some have suggested it is the root cause of many diseases. Salt Therapy has been used to treat the symptoms of colds, flu, allergies, asthma, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, bronchitis, sinusitis, sinus infections, rhinitis, ear infections, eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, acne, and neuropathy. As a long time sufferer of allergies, asthma, eczema and chronic inflammation, I understand what it can be like to live with conditions that may never go away. It can be very challenging to reduce or eliminate the need for medications but by making lifestyle changes and exploring alternative health and wellness treatments I can say the path has been rewarding. For more information about Fusion’s Salt Room or to book a session, please visit our studio website at CashiersValleyFusion. com or contact me directly at (828) 743-9000 with any questions. As a Certified Halotherapist with the Salt Therapy Association and a wellness advocate, I look forward to assisting you.

by Mary Abranyi