All About Women November-December 2020

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Do you decorate for the holidays, and how?

PUBLISHER Gene Fowler

Derek Halsey “To me, it makes a difference during the holidays if folks put up even one light or wreath or ribbon. Yes, big Christmas displays are fun.

But I think it is a positive step to put just a single electric candle in a window or mistletoe on the front door or garland on a mailbox.”

Hollie Eudy “I consider my style: ‘Classic Christmas.’ I use white lights only and decorate with gold, silver and white. I like for our tree to go up the weekend after Thanksgiving and come down as soon as Christmas is over! My favorite decoration is the white ceramic Christmas tree my grandmother made for each of her grandchildren. I look forward to putting it up each year as it reminds me of my grandparents and the love they poured into each of us. And...I love to hear my dad’s version of Elvis’s ‘Blue Christmas!’ That is Christmas to me!”

Bonnie Church “My children laugh at my measly decor, but I don’t care. A few candles, a plaster angel or two, a little artificial tree decked with dried flowers and tacky bulbs are enough for me. Now come around people I love. There is plenty of room for all.”

Heather Brandon “I am a minimalist — I blame my paternal grandmother who covered every surface with decorations and tinsel. Also, we often travel over the holidays. We have a small metal ornament tree that displays my husband’s 12 favorite ornaments from his childhood, and that’s it.”

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Tom Mayer

EDITOR Anna Oakes editor@aawmag.com 828.278.3602

CONTRIBUTORS Heather Brandon Bonnie Church Marion Edwards Hollie Eudy Derek Halsey Heather Jordan Jessica Isaacs Sue Spirit

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Meleah Bryan

ADVERTISING 828.264.6397

Sue Spirit “World travel memories inhabit journals, photo albums, and, yes, Christmas ornaments. Four favorites of many: a little moose from remote Isle Royale; a wooden heart from Zagreb, Croatia’s New Year’s Eve; a photo of Kalpana, the girl I sponsor in India; a brass Fatima lucky charm from Morocco, our first trip to a Muslim nation...and....and...”

Jessica Isaacs “I’ve always loved to decorate for Christmas, and the sooner the better.

Trees, lights, candles in the window, you name it. Decorating looks a little different with a toddler in the house, but I’m still on a mission.

(Who sells unbreakable glass ornaments? Asking for a friend…)”

4 | November-December 2020

COVER PHOTO

by Marie Freeman

Any reproduction of news articles, photographs or advertising artwork is strictly prohibited without permission from management. © 2020 Mountain Times Publications aawmag.com

CONTENTS

features 14 Brooke Kornegay 16 Reba Moretz 20 Carla Ramsdell

health 09 Holiday Celebrations &

Small Gatherings: Play it Safe 10 Living Well:

Eating Clean on a Budget

relationships 12 Mom’s World: Three Good Things

food & drink 24 Young at Heart:

Hated Holiday Foods 26 Holiday Recipes

16 14

style & leisure 28 Beauty: A New Age

of Self Care 29 Travel: Dancing with Kalpana

in every issue 06 Editor’s Note

20

07 Women in the News

November-December 2020 | 5

editor’s

note

Dear readers, In this final All About Women issue of 2020, I’m saying a grateful goodbye. After 14 years as a working journalist, I’m leaving my position as editor of the Watauga Democrat and All About Women, ready to take on something new.

Taking the helm of this magazine was a new challenge for this community newspaper journalist, and I want to thank everyone who helped me along the way: Our dependable group of freelance writers, who put their confidence in me and shared their wonderful words, expertise, advice and stories. The many women who trusted us to share their stories and ideas. The photographers who contributed their beautiful images to our pages. And our super-talented production editor Meleah Bryan, who deftly and expertly designed our award-winning magazine, often while juggling many other tasks for our group of newspapers and special publications.

And of course, I want to express sincere gratitude to all of our advertisers, and most importantly, to our readers! Thank you for all the calls, emails, ideas, suggestions and feedback.

To all the community leaders and High Country folks I’ve interviewed over my years at local newspapers, thank you so much for returning my many calls, emails and texts; for being gracious with your time; and for your support, patience, trust and kind words. It has been an honor to serve this community.

Democracy needs journalists. Please support journalism, support our journalists, and be kind.

6 | November-December 2020

aawmag.com

Women in the News

Hagan Appointed Dean’s Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion

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s the newly appointed Dean’s Fellow for Diversity and Inclusion in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at Appalachian State University, Cara Hagan, an FAA associate professor of dance, said she has ambitious plans to lead efforts to combat racism, sexism and other problems that plague society. “At some point, history is going to ask you what you did, and I don’t want to be caught scratching my head,” she said.

Hagan, who assumed her new role in July, said one of the first initiatives she has in her sights is working with FAA Interim Dean Janice T. Pope to establish an Institute for Creative Justice, with the goal of “advancing equality, one great idea at a time.”

According to Hagan, the institute will offer “sandbox sessions” to cultivate dynamic brainstorming that leads to new, shared philosophies in action; a related podcast/TV show to air on the university’s AppTV; and grants to fund projects for faculty, staff and students who are working to advance creative justice ideals and action.

Hagan will also be conducting a college-specific, qualitative inclusion study as part of the institute, which will help faculty, staff and students work toward inclusive solutions in discipline-specific ways.

“Cara Hagan doesn’t back down from

a challenge, whether it’s combating systemic racism, fighting for equality or even helping her neighbors prepare for a pandemic,” Pope said. “She has a tremendous spark and passion for delving into these complex Appalachian State University’s Cara Hagan, associate professor of dance studies, with her issues that Black Lives Matter artwork. Hagan is selling the art to benefit anti-racism organizations. our university, Photo submitted community and as the High Country Agency on Aging world are facing.” and Boone’s OASIS (Opposing Abuse Pope continued, “The Institute for with Service, Information and Shelter).

Creative Justice will complement our Additionally, the group stocked a handful college’s history of creating impactful of free mask stations around the Boone projects such as the Climate Stories Colarea between April and June. laborative, the solar vehicle team and the Hagan serves as president of AppaIDEXlab that address issues related to clilachian’s Black Faculty and Staff Assomate change, social justice and, honestly, ciation and has taught in Appalachian’s just ways we can be better people.”

Honors College. Additionally, she is an As a community activist and organizauthor, a film festival curator and an artist. er, Hagan is the founder and driving force By selling her Black Lives Matter artwork, behind Small and Mighty Acts (SAMA), a available at Hatchet Coffee in Boone, group that recently has sewn and donated Hagan has raised $6,000 in two months to hundreds of cloth face masks to local benefit anti-racism organizations. and regional service organizations, such

Former Teacher Writes Book About Watauga Winter Event

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In her new book, former Parkway Elementary School teacher and author Billie Hicklin remembers a day when students and staff were stuck at school due to weather. Photo submitted

hose who call the High Country home year-round know that at times unexpected weather can blow in without a moment’s notice. This was true on the afternoon of Jan. 26, 1996, when a dip in temperature turned roads into ice slicks, causing five accidents on U.S. 421 alone and stranding more than 600 students and staff at Parkway Elementary School for hours.

Recently, former educator Billie Hicklin detailed the events of that wintry

afternoon in a book that she titled “The Long, Longer, Longest Day: How to Survive Being Stuck at School.”

During the time of the event Hicklin was a seventh-grade teacher at Parkway Elementary and was one of several individuals forced to make the best out of a bad situation once the call was made to bunker down in the school for the foreseeable future.

Continued on next page November-December 2020 | 7

Women in the News “I saw the buses start to leave, then I started packing up my own things. It was Friday afternoon and we were all tired and ready to go home like everyone is on a Friday,” said Hicklin. “Lo and behold, I look up and the buses are coming back into the parking lot. Pretty soon after that kids began coming back into the classroom.”

According to Hicklin, her motivation for putting this story into print was the event’s lasting memory with those involved.

“Parkway’s retired teachers get together about once a month and have lunch.

And it seemed like this story would come up half the times we got together,” said Hicklin. “The stories just got really funny and I think I started to realize that this is a story that needs to be in the records of

the school and if we don’t do it soon then we’re all going to be too old too remember.”

During the ordeal, students and staff passed the time by playing games, watching movies and conversing with one another. Dinner was prepared by the cafeteria staff, and the local radio station, WATA, kept parents updated on the happenings inside the school.

“For the older kids, it was like the best party ever. We had games, we had movies going on. One of the kids recalled sitting around talking to each other and that they talked with kids they weren’t normally friends with,” said Hicklin. “The radio was wonderful because that was the communication between us and all of the parents,” Hicklin said. “They kept the parents from coming and getting into a

dangerous situation on icy roads.”

As the night dragged on, temperatures steadily began to rise, thawing roads and allowing parents to pick up their children. The last student left the Parkway Elementary that night at 10 p.m.

Looking back, one of the most memorable aspects of the event, according to Hicklin, was how the situation brought everyone in the school together.

“Everyone came together. The best of everybody came out during that whole event,” said Hicklin. “Everyone threw in and did what had to be done and we made it a fun and memorable experience.”

You can find Hicklin’s new book on Amazon.

- Andrew Cole

Carter Appointed App State Ombudsperson

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the ombuds role. ppalachian She is a trained State Univermediator who has sity announces the supported numerous appointment of individuals as they Tandrea Carter as approached workuniversity ombudbased conflicts and sperson. Her new concerns. She emrole became effective ploys a collaborative Sept. 15. approach, anchoring As ombudsperher work in respect son, Carter provides for individual autonconfidential, imparomy and a desire to tial and off-the-reunderstand people’s cord problem-solvperspectives and ing and dispute experiences.” resolution assistance Carter, who also to App State stuserves as director of dents, faculty and App State’s Counselstaff. This assistance, ing for Faculty and which is provided at Staff, shared she is no cost, includes lisTandrea Carter, Appalachian State University omhonored to broaden tening to concerns; budsperson and director of App State’s Counseling her support of the brainstorming and for Faculty and Staff. Photo by Chase Reynolds university communiassessing options; ty in this new role. providing coaching; helping gather “Giving someone a respectful information about resources and referrals; audience can, itself, often be a helpful facilitating difficult discussions; and conintervention and a productive step ducting informal conflict resolution. toward resolution. Approaching conflict Interim Provost and Executive Vice constructively serves not only to support Chancellor Heather Norris said, “Dr. individuals but also strengthens the uniCarter brings a wealth of experience to 8 | November-December 2020

versity,” Carter said.

Carter joined App State as an adjunct lecturer in the Dr. Wiley F. Smith Department of Psychology, where she taught courses on abnormal psychology, educational psychology, psychology of personality and contemporary issues in psychology.

In 2010, she became director of Counseling for Faculty and Staff, housed in the Blue Cross NC Institute for Health and Human Services. Among her duties in this role, Carter provides clinical counseling services to faculty and staff and their immediate family members regarding a variety of mental health and work-related issues. She also offers consultation to administrators, supervisors and other employees regarding employee well-being.

She is a licensed psychologist who earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a concentration in health psychology from the University of Miami. She completed her undergraduate studies at Columbia University, where she majored in history.

Prior to coming to App State, Carter worked as a clinical psychologist at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

aawmag.com

Health

Holiday Celebrations and Small Gatherings:

Play It Safe Much like the holidays that preceded it in 2020, the holidays will be different this year.

An ongoing pandemic has changed the way much of the world lives their lives, including how holidays are celebrated.

As the novel coronavirus COVID-19 spread across the globe beginning in the winter of 2019-20, the World Health Organization recommended a host of behaviors designed to prevent the spread of the virus and protect those who are most vulnerable to it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also noted the importance of keeping distance from others, especially for those who are most likely to get seriously ill if they’re exposed to COVID-19, such as the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions.

The WHO and the CDC continue to recommend social distancing. Families must make their own decisions about getting together this holiday season, but hosts who intend to welcome guests into their homes this holiday season can take certain steps to keep everyone as safe as possible.

• Scale back the guest list. Families accustomed to large gatherings can scale the festivities back this year in an effort to keep everyone safe. Consider hosting a meal for immediate family members only, as the Environmental Protection Agency notes that COVID-19 may spread more easily in indoor environments via airborne particles. Extended family members can visit each other over the long holiday weekend to ensure everyone still sees each other, but keep such visits outdoors when possible.

• Consider eating dinner outside. If the weather permits, consider eating a family dinner outside this year. Doing so may limit everyone’s exposure to the respiratory droplets that researchers say can spread the virus when inhaled. If necessary, serve the meal earlier than you normally would so everyone can eat in midday when it’s still warm outside. Hosts also can consider serving something more convenient than turkey, which takes a long time to cook, and

limiting side dishes to one or two items.

• Assign seats. If the meal will be served indoors, then hosts can assign seats to protect those most vulnerable to serious illness from COVID-19. Instead of cramming everyone in at one table, set up temporary tables and have guests sit in every other seat rather than next to one another. Isolate the vulnerable as much as possible while still ensuring they can engage in conversation.

• Discourage guests from attending if they feel sick. A

list of COVID-19 symptoms can be found at www.cdc.gov. In the days prior to the event, hosts can share that list with guests via email or social media and discourage guests who are feeling ill on or around the holiday from attending the festivities. If necessary, make a to-go plate for ill relatives and drop it off at their homes so they can still enjoy dinner.

• Stock up on hand soap and hand sanitizer.

Hosts should make sure hand soap and sanitizer is readily available throughout their homes. When guests arrive, make sure everyone washes their hands immediately, and encourage guests to continue doing so throughout the day.

November-December 2020 | 9

Health

LIVING WELL

Eating Clean ON A BUDGET

We are exposed to a cocktail of

pesticides, antibiotics, estrogenic hormones and trans fats in our foods, daily.

Some dispute just how harmful this is, but there is no one dispute that less exposure is better.

The challenge for many is this. Eating lean and clean costs more. Or does it? If you want to clean up your act, without breaking the bank, here are some tips.

Find Extra Money in Your Budget You might be surprised how much you are spending on those frothy lattes and restaurant meals. Cutting them out of your budget will give you more money to invest in healthier options.

10 | November-December 2020

Prioritize Your Produce

Budget for Healthy Proteins

The nonprofit Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) produces an annual list of foods that have the highest level of pesticides called the Dirty Dozen. These you should always buy organic. But there is a Clean 15 — conventionally grown, less expensive versions that are safe to eat.

The Dirty Dozen (buy organic): Strawberries, Spinach, Kale, Nectarines, Apples, Grapes, Peaches, Cherries, Pears, Tomatoes, Celery and Potatoes.

The Clean 15 (buy conventional): Avocado, Sweet Corn, Pineapple, Onion, Papaya, Sweet Peas Frozen, Eggplant, Asparagus, Cauliflower, Cantaloupes, Broccoli, Mushrooms, Cabbage, Honeydew Melon and Kiwi.

Eggs are a low-cost protein source. If you cannot afford organic eggs, choose cage free, no antibiotic versions.

Dried beans cooked in savory spices are a deal. They can be made into burgers, soups, and burritos.

Grass-fed beef does cost more, but red meat should be eaten in moderation anyway. Buy quality, eat less.

Seafood is pricey, but when you do eat it, keep it clean. Wild-caught Alaskan products are among the lowest in contaminants. Albacore tuna, troll or pole-caught, is also a cleaner choice.

Yes, omega 3 (both DHA and EPA) is important for basic health maintenance.

Sardines and salmon are among the aawmag.com

best sources. If you cannot afford clean seafood, it might be less expensive to get your omegas from a high-quality fish oil.

Buy Generic Store Brands or Bulk Many of our area grocery stores carry organic store-brand options. They offer similar quality for less money.

Look for bulk bins of grains, beans and nuts. These items are generally cheaper by the pound.

Healthy oils (coconut, olive, sesame, grapeseed) cost less in larger quantities.

Just be sure to refrigerate or store in a dark place so they do not go rancid before you use them up.

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Take Advantage of Sales Tweak your meals to accommodate the best buys of the week.

Stock up and/or freeze your deals for future use.

Buy Ugly Deformed or slightly spent foods are generally as nutritious as their beautiful counterparts, and often offered at a lower price.

As a member, you can reserve our kids’ recreation gym and bring your kids to play!

Basketball, gymnastics, climbing wall, volleyball, tumbling and more!

Use Every Bit Leftovers are a huge time and money saver. Eat them now or freeze for later.

Aging fruits and veggies as well as chicken carcasses and beef bones can be used in soups, broths and smoothies.

Choosing quality food might seem expensive on the front end. But consider the long-term financial savings of lowering the incidence of serious and expensive chronic diseases. Now, that is hard to budget for!

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Relationships

MOM’S WORLD

Three Good Things 2020 has been a year like no other. As the holidays quickly approach

and the door starts to close on some pretty dark times personally and collectively this year, I am making a conscious effort to catch the sliver of light that is shining through the crack of that door.

Admittedly, sometimes I can barely see it. Other times, it is bursting through like those first rays of sun through the trees on one of my morning runs. One of my dear friends recently asked me if I had ever tried the evidence-based practice of “Three Good Things” to help focus on gratitude in daily life. I have read about it and made a feeble “I’m gonna do that” response to someone else’s suggestion earlier this year, but life just kept rolling and somehow I didn’t put pen to my paper at the end of the cycle of long days that has been this season.

But here I am contemplating Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the uncertainties of the pandemic and the personal whirlwind that has been my life since March, and I feel compelled to do so not for today but for the year. Knowing that so many people have experienced loss this year, I hope to inspire you to do the same. My three good things for which I am grateful are Acceptance, Nature and Love.

Having grown up in church, I remember hearing the Serenity Prayer and gaining comfort from it. It reads, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” Whether you are religious or not, these words are solid advice but sometimes hard to follow. I feel in my heart that moving forward from loss or trauma does not negate what you have experienced but does allow you to take

12 | November-December 2020

that experience that is a part of you and gain a new perspective from which strength can emerge. Acceptance means realizing that you are not always in control, recognizing that every person’s burden is different, and understanding that to relate to someone else requires finding some part of them within yourself. It is meeting people where they are, whenever possible.

For me, a critical part of gaining perspective, and with that, acceptance, has been committing to spending time outside in Nature.

I have spent more time outside at my house this year than the 12 years prior. I sit on my glider on my front porch with my husband. I sit on our back deck and stare at the trees. I listen. I watch my cats. I take a moment to not feel like I should be doing something else because that is what I need.

I have re-committed myself to running regularly and taken away the need for it to be more than what I can do. I’ve eliminated the pressure that it should be a certain number of miles or time. If I miss a day, I let it go without weight or guilt. By doing so, I enjoy it so much more. In the past two months, I’ve been running a trail around a lake with lots of rocks, roots and sometimes mud. I have to slow down, sometimes walk, and get my shoes muddy — all of which is an appropriate metaphor for this year. Even though I lace up my shoes half-asleep truly lacking motivation, as soon as I hit the trail I am uplifted. The trees, the sun, the leaves, the roots, the rocks — all of it grounds me and brings me back to my

self. These short runs give me time to navigate my emotions. I always feel better afterwards.

In addition to running in nature, I have also become more intentional about getting out to see the spectacular views that are minutes from our house.

I’ve packed up the car with at least one sleepy son and husband to catch the sunrise on the Parkway. I’ve driven with my son Joe to jam out to his music and watch the sun go down. We are unbelievably lucky to live where we do, and I don’t want to ever take it for granted.

Finally, where would I or any of us be without Love? Love from my family and friends has been amazing this year. Admitting and accepting our emotional vulnerabilities can feel scary but what relief is found when those around us can identify with our feelings, provide a sounding board for our insecurities, and help us to see the good in ourselves and our lives. Our happiness is only partially self-driven — through support and relationships, it is fully realized. No one’s true happiness should ever be mutually exclusive at home, work, or in life in general. In gaining perspective through reflection, I have been able to see what things I can let go of and what is truly important. Hugging my kids and letting them know my unshakable infinite love for them, spending time with my family, catching babies and striving to show love to other people in all that I do — these are things that drive me and fulfill me.

Loving our families does look different in 2020. Even as I ponder not seeing my extended family nearly enough because of the pandemic, I am grateful aawmag.com

for virtual visits over the phone and when I do see people face to face. Holidays will look different as we all struggle to figure out how to responsibly share time with family and friends and avoid spread of a virus that has little mercy, particularly on the elderly but also sometimes on younger people with no risk factors. I hope that next year we will be able to return to larger family gatherings and celebrate in more traditional ways.

All in all, these three things — Acceptance, Nature and Love — keep me going when I find myself shaken or down.

I once heard a woman named Auburn Sandstrom speak with a story called “A Phone Call” on The Moth radio hour. She was a former addict. I’ve never struggled with addiction, but know there are many people who do. Her story is inspiring and evocative. She spoke of a night when she was at the lowest of lows and called a number that her mom had given to her a long time prior for someone who was supposedly a Christian counselor. The person on the other end of the phone answered and spoke to this woman for several hours until dawn. He was not who she thought he was, but he helped

her through that dark night and gave her hope to start moving toward a better path. She says at the end of her story the following words: “I never learned his name. Never talked to him again... I need to tell you that the next day that I experienced something that I have heard called peace that passes understanding, because I had experienced that there was random love in the universe... and that some of it was unconditional... and that some of it was for me. And I can’t tell you that I got my life totally together that day, but it became possible... This is what I know. In the deepest, blackest night of despair and anxiety, it only takes a pinhole of light and all of grace can come in.”

So, as 2020’s door shuts, I see the beauty in the random, unconditional love in our universe and grasp firmly to the fact that through that crevice of light, all of grace can come in. I hope you are able to see the same. heather jordan, CNM, MSN Comments or questions?

828.737.7711, ext. 253 landh@localnet.com

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Feature

Brooke Kornegay A Podcaster and Community Leader Dedicated to Local Food and Sustainability One interesting phenomenon that happened in response to the

2020 shutdowns has been the move to grow one’s own food again. In the spring, garden stores and feed stores either sold out of seeds and garden goods or had to order up to three times more product than needed in a normal year.

One person in the High Country who has her pulse on all things gardening, farming and sustainable food production is Brooke Kornegay.

A native of Charleston, S.C., Brooke moved to the High Country to become a sustainable development student at Appalachian State University. Years after her graduation, she has been involved with the Watauga Food Council and is known 14 | November-December 2020

for her wonderful podcast Soul Soil, which can be heard on Apple Podcasts.

The theme of the Soul Soil podcast is “Where Agriculture and Spirit Intersect.”

After visiting the High Country in 1997, Brooke fell in love with the mountains.

“Coming from the coastal plains of Charleston, S.C., and seeing the mountains here in whichever direction I looked completely captivated me,” says Brooke.

“While I was in college, I had no idea that I would end up settling here. I graduated in three and a half years and went directly to graduate school for the sustainable systems MS program. After graduating, and after a brief stint in Portland, Oregon, I went to Malawi, Africa, as a Peace Corps

volunteer. When I returned to the States in 2006, the only place I wanted to go to was Boone. It wasn’t long after visiting old friends up here that I moved back.

Truly, there is no other place that I’ve lived that has measured up to here.”

As for Brooke’s love for nature and agriculture, it kicked into high gear after she became immersed in her studies.

“It all began here; in between classes, after classes and on the weekends,” said Brooke. “I found myself in nature and hiking, biking, climbing, camping, swimming and learning the names of the trees and the plants. I soaked up the sun and the views and the oxygen from the woods, letting Nature light up every part of my being. Nature and community is a aawmag.com

potent combination, and I experienced both in abundance during my college years. I must also acknowledge that I was influenced in my youth by my stepfather Gary Piper, who kept quite an impressive organic gardening operation every year at our home in Charleston. He introduced our family to composting and recycling.

He was the director of cardiac rehab at Roper Hospital, and always emphasized and demonstrated healthy eating and exercise.”

While at Appalachian State, Brooke became immersed in all things sustainability.

“At App State, I declared as an anthropology major, and through Dr. Jeff Boyer, I discovered the topic of sustainable development,” said Brooke. “Yet, because there was no major or even a minor degree in that subject at the time, I focused on sustainable development as a concentration through the anthropology department. I went on the annual trip to Honduras with Dr. Boyer, which was a mind-opening experience that seeded my international development interest. I had a vision in my heart of community living, farming and cooperation. I still hold on to that vision. During graduate studies in sustainable systems, I focused on agroecology, after taking a course in my final semester at App State with Dr. Christof den Biggelaar, who would eventually mentor my work as farm manager at the App State Sustainable Development Teaching and Research Farm.”

As for this tumultuous year, Brooke has noticed a heightened interest in gardening and growing one’s own food.

“This summer, I decided to offer a weekly online Zoom course on sustainable agriculture topics and techniques for folks needing extra support,” says Brooke.

“People were breaking ground for the first time. I am so grateful for the good things that have come

from this lockdown, such as more time with family and a renewed focus on the homestead. When something like a global pandemic becomes a reality, it tends to make one think about how they are getting their most basic needs met. I have a permaculture background, and redundancy is a main principle of that, as in ‘always have many ways to meet basic needs.’

The vast majority of us are completely dependent on industrialized agriculture to feed our families. If anything happened to that supply chain, the rules of society would break down quickly.”

Formed in spring 2016, the Watauga Food Council emerged out of the Greening My Plate Gang and several other community efforts to better cultivate an inclusive and robust local food system.

With support from and cooperation with local governments and other organizations, the purpose of the Watauga Food Council is to serve as an umbrella organization to coordinate and strengthen the local food system.

According to Brooke, who serves as the council’s coordinator, the Watauga Food Council experienced some problems due to the pandemic, from public events being canceled to a decline in volunteers even as the need for food grew.

For more information on the organization’s needs and to learn how to help out, visit wataugafoodcouncil.org.

As for our new collective love for getting our fingers in the soil, Brooke finds it to be an exciting movement and seeks to encourage it long after things go back to normal.

“Spirituality and agriculture have traditionally been entwined throughout human history,” said Brooke. “It’s only very recently that humans have succeeded in separating the magical growth forces from the process, to our detriment. I am 100% pro-science, and we are finding that it often reinforces what spiritual communities have professed through other ways of knowing. I believe that humans are built to learn, not only through observation and testing, but also through intuition. To discount this way of learning and knowing is to cut off a critical part of ourselves. The Cherokee living on this land before we claimed it for ourselves had words for it. To deny this connection because we can’t see it in our microscopes is foolish. Sometimes we have to pan way back and look at the Earth as a unified, living organism to begin to understand it, or to realize what we still don’t understand.”

More information on Brooke Kornegay can be found at www.soulsoilpodcast.com.

Derek Halsey Derek is a freelance journalist living in the High Country. He is a winner of the Charlie Lamb Excellence in Music Journalism Award and a 9-time IBMA Journalist of the Year Award nominee.

November-December 2020 | 15

Background photo by Chandler Cruttenden on Unsplash

Feature

s ’ g n i i k S n r e h t Sou

Matriarch

What does it mean to leave a legacy?

Reba Moretz Reflects on an Appalachian Family Legacy

Clockwise from top left: Reba and Grady pictured with Yosef on the deck at Appalachian Ski Mtn. Photo submitted; Reba Moretz and her two children, Brenda Moretz Speckmann and Brad Moretz, are pictured at Appalachian Ski Mtn. Photo submitted; Reba and Grady Moretz are seated in their favorite box seats to cheer for the Mountaineers.

Photo submitted; Reba is pictured with Luke Winkelmann, member of the U.S. Snowboard Team, who learned to snowboard at Appalachian Ski Mtn. Photo submitted; In this photo published in the Nov. 21, 1986, Watauga Democrat, Grady Moretz, Reba Moretz and son Brad, along with many others, celebrated the 25th season of skiing at Appalachian Ski Mtn. at a reception held at the resort.

In some ways, that’s a difficult question to answer; but when we see it through the lens of life’s most precious details — family, love, community — the picture becomes more clear.

For Reba Moretz, the matriarch of the Appalachian Ski Mtn. family, that’s what it’s all about.

All of her adult life, she’s been a powerful catalyst in the development of the High Country’s tourism industry and a tireless advocate for Appalachian State University, the local medical community and other organizations set out to improve the lives of other people.

Today, she reflects on a lifetime of service shared with her late husband, Grady Moretz. Jr., and looks forward to what the future holds.

Appalachian Roots Reba’s deep community roots were planted when her family first moved to Boone in the mid-1930s.

“My daddy had been teaching at a college in Asheville when my family moved here. I was about three or four years old,” she said. “Dr. Dougherty hired my dad to teach psychology at Appalachian, and he ended up heading the department. In fact, the psychology department is now named after my daddy.”

She’ll tell you she was practically raised on campus, which was known at the time as Appalachian State Teachers College. She later attended Watauga High School, where she met a local boy named Grady — an ambitious, handsome guy a few years her senior, and a die-hard fan of the Carolina Tar Heels.

“I think my earliest memory was going to a party at the high school with Grady and another couple. He really didn’t realize how much younger I was than him, so pretty soon he felt like he was a man of the world and I was just a young kid,” she smiled as she recalled. “So we lost touch, and we weren’t friends again for several years.”

Reba went on to graduate from Watauga High in 1949, and then to study music education at App State.

Continued on next page

November-December 2020 | 17

Clockwise from top left: Reba and Grady are pictured with their grandchildren Sophie and Wiley Speckmann cheering on the Mountaineers; Pictured with Reba are Appalachian State Chancellor Sheri Everts and Julia Adams at the inaugural ringing of the Founder’s Bell on Founders Day 2019. Photo submitted; A proud moment at the Camilla Bowl with Reba and her two grandsons Jensen Moretz (left) and Wiley Speckmann (right).

Photo submitted

“I grew up on the campus there and was always interested in Appalachian,” she said. “I was interested in music, and they had a really good music department.”

It was there that she discovered a love for playing the organ.

“When I was in college I played the tenor saxophone, which I enjoyed but never kept up. I started playing the piano and got interested in learning to play the organ,” she said. “There really wasn’t a local organ teacher here, so my mother and daddy took me to Charlotte every two weeks for organ lessons.”

She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music education in 1952 and ‘53, and was teaching music for Charlotte City Schools by the time she heard from Grady again.

By then, he had graduated from the University of North Carolina (a Tar Heel through and through) and was serving a four-year tour in the United States Navy.

“He got back in touch with me and asked me to go to a Duke-Carolina ball game, so I decided to go. He didn’t tell me until years later that he didn’t have 18 | November-December 2020

tickets,” Reba laughed. “So when I went to the restroom, he went out and scalped two tickets. I don’t know what he was going to do if he hadn’t been able to find them.

“After that ball game, he was on leave from the Navy for about a month and he came down to Charlotte every weekend.

We got better and better acquainted. He was getting out of the Navy in the spring, and after we spent so much time together we realized how much we cared for each other. By the time he got out of the Navy, we were making summer plans to get married.”

Building a Family, and a Family Business The two were married in 1955, when they made a home together here in the High Country and Reba started working at Parkway School.

“Grady was working in his family business, a lumber and building supply business, and I had just gotten a job

teaching at Parkway. At the time, they didn’t have a music program in the county, and the principal wanted to have one,” she said. “So he took my class every afternoon so I could teach music to all of the other classes.”

She taught there until 1961, when their son Brad was born.

“It wasn’t very long after that until Grady got involved in the ski business,” Reba explained, “which is certainly something he’d never planned for, dreamed on, or even thought about.

“A man came to the lumber yard one day and was interested in building a ski area in Blowing Rock. He was having a hard time getting businesses to sell him materials to build a lodge. The thought of skiing was a very far-fetched idea at that time, and everybody was afraid to give credit to that kind of project.”

“Grady just had the foresight to think of it as something that could not only be done, but be really good for the area. At the time there was very little going on here in the wintertime, so he decided to go ahead and furnish them the building materials and just take a chance that he might not get paid. He didn’t know anything about skiing then.”

Soon enough, Reba and Grady found themselves supporting the work of building the ski area, developing the industry and putting Blowing Rock on the map as a year-round destination resort town.

“I quickly began to realize that teaching music and the ski business really didn’t go together very well. Grady needed my help, and I felt it was important that we had schedules that could work together,” she said. “I realized that in order to build our lives together, I would have to be a part of the ski business.”

By the time their daughter Brenda was born in 1967, running the ski area had become a true family affair for the Moretz crew. The lodge had become their home away from home, and they acquired sole ownership of Appalachian Ski Mountain in 1986.

“It was difficult to have the children at home and spend a lot of time at the ski area, but when they were a little older they got to ski a lot, and now they’re both good skiers,” Reba said. “Since then it has really developed into a family business, because all of our family is involved.” aawmag.com

Starting from Scratch The Moretz family had not one, but two major challenges on their hands — developing the first ski area of its kind in northwestern North Carolina, and establishing a winter sports market in an area where people knew little to nothing about it.

“So few people had even seen a ski when the area first opened, so we had to educate the public about skiing. People just weren’t familiar with it because it hadn’t been done here,” said Reba. “Maybe a few people who had moved here from New England had skied a little in their backyards, but that was about it.”

It was a lot of hard work and a great commitment for the young family, but they believed wholeheartedly that the winter sports industry could do wonderful things for the High Country.

“At that time there was very little going on here in the wintertime. I think there was one restaurant in Blowing Rock serving dinner at the time in the winter,” she said. “But as skiing became more popular, more and more people started coming to the mountains. That was really good for the economy here, because it provided jobs for people and business for the local establishments. Also, it gave young people something wholesome to do during the winter.”

Reba became personally fascinated with the potential that tourism could offer the High Country and started doing her own research into the area’s history as a resort destination.

“I was checking clothing forms and records of estates showing that even back in 1918 people were coming here from nine different countries and 32 different states,” she said. “We were very anx-

ious to see tourism develop here.

“When we started getting more people, sometimes Grady and I would drive around the motels at night just to check the license plates and see where people were coming from. We felt really proud, because we felt that maybe we had been a little part in getting those people to come here.”

Today, Appalachian Ski Mtn. has 12 slopes, two terrain parks, a skating rink, a restaurant and a base lodge that covers 46,000 square feet. It draws more than 100,000 skiers, snowboarders and ice skaters annually and seasonally employs over 400 people each year.

Family, Community, Service Reba and Grady Moretz not only helped redefine the High Country’s identity as one of the top tourist destinations in the southeastern United States, but have also been largely instrumental in supporting the local community in other ways.

“The university, tourism and the medical community are the three most important things for the economy in this area. Grady was on the board of directors for Watauga Hospital, and then for many years at the Blowing Rock hospital, so we were really involved in many aspects,” she said. “Then later, I served on a committee to help with the development of the Foley Center.”

Reba has also given much of her time and her heart to serving her alma mater.

“I have always had a special interest in Appalachian,” she said. “Appalachian makes this community, really, and I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to serve and make contributions in different ways.”

She was an eight-year member of the university’s Board of Trustees, has served on the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board, and was a member of the chancellor search commit-

tee in 2004. She currently serves on the school’s Board of Visitors.

Reba and Grady were founding members of An Appalachian Summer festival and she served three years on the festival’s advisory committee. Together, they have financially supported the university, its students and its alumni association in countless ways over the years.

They have served together in advisory capacities for several top state and national level organizations in the ski and tourism industries. They have each earned numerous accolades and recognitions for their decades of exemplary work, including the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor conferred by the governor of North Carolina.

A Legacy of Love Lately, when she’s not busy finding ways to serve others, you can find Reba spending time with her family on the patio or playing the organ in her home — likely sacred or classical music (by the way, she’s been the seasonal organist at All Saints Church in Linville for 50 years now) although she also loves jazz.

Reba remains a powerful advocate for the High Country community, and her two children, Brad and Brenda, carry on the family business at Appalachian Ski Mtn. As she reflects on a lifetime of work alongside her late husband and a family that has fully embraced her love for these mountains, Reba is full of pride, joy and hope for the future.

“Looking back on what we have built together, I am proud to have a part in supporting my community in many ways,” she says. “My hope and wish is that my four wonderful grandchildren will carry on the legacy of the family business my husband and I established.”

Jessica Isaacs Jessica Isaacs is a local writer, wife and new mommy who loves the Lord and always keeps her eyes peeled for his mercies and miracles.

Reba is pictured enjoying Mother’s Day on the patio at her home with her four grandchildren, from right to left, Avery Moretz (12), Sophie Speckmann (15), Jensen Moretz (15) and Wiley Speckmann (18). “My hope and wish is that my four wonderful grandchildren will carry on the legacy of the family business my husband and I established!” Reba says.

November-December 2020 | 19

Feature

Carla Ramsdell

Taking Back the Kitchen One Meal at a Time An environmentalist, food physicist and cooking evangelist, Carla Ramsdell strives to empower

others with the knowledge that taking back control of food and recognizing its potential as an energy source is instrumental in food sustainability. A professor in the physics department at Appalachian State University, Carla has developed a variety of courses to explore “how much physics is involved in our food system and in the kitchen and how large of an impact our food system has on climate change.”

Much of Carla’s life experience has provided a natural extension to her exploration of food as an energy source for personal health as well as an energy source in terms of sustainability.

Growing up with her brother and sister in West Palm Beach, Florida, Carla credits her mother for establishing her curiosity about the science involved in the kitchen.

“Delicious, home-made food was an integral part of my childhood. Mom could make EVERY-

20 | November-December 2020

THING from scratch, from eggplant parmesan to breads to homemade kumquat marmalade which she always kept on hand for gifts. She was pretty adventurous and kept very accurate record of her recipes so they could be improved upon and repeated without fail. This is a great example of the scientific process!”

Carla’s family also encouraged her to help in the kitchen from the time she was able to stand, with only one rule: nothing was to be thrown away.

“NO food was wasted in our home.

If there was a bit of Italian dressing and a bit of Ranch dressing left over — Mom would just mix them together! While we frequently made fun of these concoctions, they were likely the beginnings of my passion for a sustainable food system.”

Through a professor’s recommendation in her undergraduate program at Stetson University, Carla earned a degree in physics and a master’s from the University of Florida at Gainesville in mechanical engineering.

She worked in the energy industry as a mechanical designer and test engineer for 12 years before moving to North Carolina.

Carla spent her first years in the mountains working as a part-time engineer and a full-time mother of three young children. “Once my youngest headed to kindergarten, I decided to answer that nagging voice in my head that was always urging me to try out teaching.

I agreed to teach a couple courses in the physics and astronomy department at Appalachian. The rest is history — I adore teaching and feel so grateful to spend my days with college-age students, helping them navigate these years of exploration about their future paths. I learn so much from my students!”

While teaching in her first physics classes, Carla noticed that any mention of food as an energy source would seem to spark some curiosity in her students.

“I could tell that 80 sets of eyes were one me, and I decided to pursue that initial spark.” From here she proposed a first-year seminar course that encourages students to consider not only the quality of the food they eat, but how it is prepared, and the impact all choices involved in cooking and eating have on the environment.

Tips Carla shares with her students aawmag.com

and those who frequent her website, www.KnowWattsCooking.com, are to begin with the basics: 1. Choose the most earth-friendly ingredients (mostly plant-based) 2. Understand how to manipulate water (one of the biggest keys to energy efficiency) 3. Consider the Instant Pot as your choice as an electric pressure cooker (“The energy-efficient superhero of the kitchen!”)

4. Dig in! (“Cooking has enormous psychological benefits and can be a great stress-reliever. Don’t be discouraged by things that don’t go so well — we’ve all been there — it’s part of the process.”)

5. Start simple and keep track of the recipes that worked well. (“You will quickly accumulate a list of “tried-andtrue” recipes. My tangy lentil and red onion salad with spinach is my No. 1 potluck contribution and always results in people asking me for the recipe!”)

Carla also wants her audiences to understand that perfection is not the goal. “It is impossible to eat all organic, all locally sourced, all plant-based, all eco-friendly 100% of the time. I hope that by helping people recognize how their food and cooking habits impact food availability for future generations, they will “take back cooking” and regain control of this energy resource one meal at a time. This doesn’t require perfection, but a trend in a more sustainable direction.”

Currently Carla is working on a series of YouTube videos that will highlight recipes “to save the world with a splash of physics!” Eventually, she hopes to write a cookbook that combines great food and

great stories with tips on ways to cook more efficiently.

Further, Carla encourages her audiences to “connect to their families by learning to cook some of your family’s traditional favorites. So many of us are disappointed right now since COVID-19 is making it difficult to be with our extended families this holiday season.

Why not ask your grandmother, uncle or cousin to join you on a video call so they can teach you how to make your holiday favorites?”

This holiday season, Carla plans to gather around her table with as many of her family as possible while enjoying a collaboratively cooked Italian meal, lots of laughter and stories of the year’s adventures with the ever-pressing vision of ways to ensure that these moments are part of an energy-efficient future.

love THINGS WE

Hollie Eudy Hollie Eudy is an English teacher who loves stories, words and the Appalachian Mountains.

Tangy Lentil and Red Onion Salad with Spinach 2 cups cooked green lentils 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1/4 cup red onion, chopped 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper 1 bunch spinach, torn (about 4 cups)

To cook lentils, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add 1 cup of dry lentils and ½ teaspoon salt and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes; drain.

Do not overcook lentils – they should still retain their shape and not be mushy.

In a large bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, onion, parsley, salt and pepper.

Add the lentils to the vinaigrette and toss to combine.

Serve over a bed of spinach.

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Food & Drink

YOUNG AT HEART

Hated Holiday Foods Green bean casserole is gross! And, yes, I do mean the green

bean casserole that your mother, grandfather, third cousin or great uncle makes every year for Thanksgiving.

In my opinion, there’s so much to hate — frozen green beans, processed fried onions and nauseating cream of mushroom soup. The later falls into what I call “post-apocalyptic” foods because I cannot comprehend how something that is “cream of” has a shelf life of 43 years.

Don’t misunderstand, I like green beans — fresh green beans — and fried onions are fine. It’s the cream of mushroom soup to which I object. Also, I don’t like mushrooms.

And, yet, a lot of people love green bean casserole and look forward to its annual appearance on the table at holiday celebrations. Others tolerate its presence because it’s tradition.

A tradition that originated in the 1950s when Dorcas Reilly, who worked for Campbell’s kitchen as a recipe creator, invented the green bean casserole recipe that for many years graced the label of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup and may still for all I know. Reilly combined the soup with frozen green beans and topped the casserole with fried onions for an easy-to-make dish et voilà, a holiday tradition was born.

My mother, aka Mummy, insists that my paternal grandmother, Pauline, always made green bean casserole for family

24 | November-December 2020

holiday gatherings. I have no memory of this. I cannot say when I was forced to eat green bean casserole; nevertheless, there must have been at least one unfortunate experience that resulted in my hatred of this dish. Either that or I rejected it outright because of the cream of mushroom soup, which is certainly possible.

Love it or hate it, green bean casserole is not the only divisive holiday dish.

Do a quick internet search and you will find numerous surveys and articles that record the hated holiday foods of people in this country and beyond. There are the usual suspects — fruitcake, Jell-O molds, cranberry sauce, eggnog and the already-mentioned green bean casserole — and some that are a mystery to me, including creamed pearl onions and Snickers Salad. The first sounds horrible and the second is just confusing. Seriously, what is a Snickers Salad and who thought two things that are diametrically opposed, candy bars and salad, should be combined?

I also polled some of my closest friends to find out what holiday foods they hate — some of their responses are included below.

Cranberry Sauce Cranberry sauce often tops the lists of most hated holiday foods and my friends concurred. One said, “Cranberries are to be mixed with vodka and in juice form only.” Others hate it specifically because

“it’s congealed” and “looks gross.” They also shared that, at Thanksgiving especially, cranberry sauce continues to be on table because it’s always been there.

I actually like a whole berry cranberry sauce and Mummy’s friend, Terri, makes a cranberry marmalade that is amazing!

Terri, if you are reading this, I’ll take two vats, please.

Turkey This one’s complicated. I don’t hate turkey, but I have no desire to roast a whole turkey, mainly because I don’t care for dark meat. I have roasted turkey breasts for past holiday meals, but I may or may not this year. I’m not really one for tradition. Last year, I cooked a nice side of salmon for Thanksgiving. This year it could be curry.

I was surprised to see turkey on the hated food lists. It shows up for two reasons: 1. It’s time consuming to prepare.

2. It’s often dry.

This opinion was echoed by one of my friends, who said, “I don’t so much hate it, but it’s so dry and cumbersome.

I have really enjoyed non-traditional Thanksgiving dinners, where we use a different meat as the focal point or pare it down to just a turkey leg.”

Stuffing I made a delicious turkey and stuffing bread pudding last year as a Thanksgivaawmag.com

ing side dish with stuffing bread from Stick Boy Bakery. Also, my husband’s family makes pan-fried stuffing patties, continuing a tradition started by his grandmother, CeCe. I’ll eat stuffing but I don’t feel strongly about it either way.

Others do. One of my friends insisted, “It’s like eating someone’s vomit!” Oyster stuffing, however, which appears on many hated holiday food lists, is definitely a no for me.

Green Bean Casserole You know how I feel about green bean casserole, but what did my friends say?

Some love it, others hate it. Those who hate it said: “Green bean casserole is a weird slimy mess.”

“I pretty much hate green beans under any circumstance.”

“Green bean casserole is slimy, tasteless and mushy, but my mom insists, ‘It’s not Thanksgiving without green bean casserole!’”

Sweet Potato Casserole What was it with the 1950s and cas-

seroles? I’m a big fan of sweet potatoes in general and think they are a very versatile food; however, I can do without the marshmallow-topped, diabetic coma inducing sweet potato casserole that is a holiday dinner staple. A number of my friends mentioned this dish and one said, “Sweet potato casserole with those tiny marshmallows... nooooooo...” Also, Mummy shared that her mother used to make one every year with pineapple, nuts and tons of marshmallows on top. Mummy did not continue that tradition.

Jell-O Salad / Molds Yet more evidence that the 1950s were a terrible time for food. If jiggly Jell-O weren’t enough on its own, for some reason we decided to mix in bits of fruit, often canned, marshmallows, and whatever else happened to be around, and let it all congeal together into a sliceable blob.

And, then there are the savory Jell-O molds, filled with vegetables. I love fruit and vegetables, but I don’t want either packaged in gelatin. Apparently, Jell-O salads are also a thing, about which one of my friends said, “Jell-O salad is disgusting, both in taste and appearance and

texture. My great aunt used to make it every year, but now that she’s in a nursing home, no one makes it!”

Fruitcake I’ve not tried the dense, brick-like fruitcake that magically appears in grocery stores each holiday season and since people seem to hate it, I think I’ll pass.

And, yet, some portion of the population must purchase it each year for the stores to continue to stock it. Mummy makes a version with candied cherries, nuts and copious amounts of rum that I do like and look forward to.

Eggnog So, full disclosure, I’ve never tried eggnog, so it may be delicious; however, my first thought was, “There’s nothing like a cup of boozy eggs to accompany your holiday meal!” heather brandon Considers life to be one big anthropological field experience. She observes and reports. She enjoys travel, food and wine and adventures with her husband, Roger.

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Food & Drink

Holiday Recipes Try these

Slow Cooker Makes Holiday Entertaining a Breeze The holidays wouldn’t be complete without a delicious meal to share with family and friends. A holiday roast is often the centerpiece of festive occasions.

Having a go-to recipe for this classic main course makes holiday preparations that much easier.

Utilizing a slow cooker to make a beef roast reduces time spent in the kitchen, affording hosts more opportunities to mingle with their guests. That’s just the idea behind this recipe for “Beef Roast With Dark Rum Sauce” from “Crock·Pot 356 Year-Round Recipes” (Publications International, Ltd) by Crock·Pot Kitchens.

Beef Roast With Dark Rum Sauce Makes 6 servings

1 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 beef rump roast (about 3 pounds) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup dark rum, divided 1/2 cup beef broth 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 whole bay leaves, broken in half 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 1/4 cup lime juice 1. In a small bowl, combine allspice, salt, pepper, and cloves. Rub spices onto all sides of roast.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat until hot. Sear beef on all sides, turning as it browns. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add 1/2 cup rum, broth, garlic, and bay leaves.

Cover; cook on low 1 hour.

3. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup rum, brown sugar and lime juice, stirring well. Pour over roast. Continue cooking on low 4 to 6 hours, or until beef is fork-tender. Baste beef occasionally with sauce.

4. Remove and slice roast. Spoon sauce over beef to serve.

Serve Potato Pancakes for Holiday Celebrations Potato pancakes are traditionally served during Chanukah celebrations.

This dish is often referred to as “latkes,” a Yiddish word that loosely translates to “little oily thing.”

Potato pancakes are not exclusive to Jewish celebrations and cuisine. Germans have their own variation called “kartoffelpuffer” that can be served with sour cream, applesauce or smoked salmon. The Irish have “boxty,” which may be made with a combination of shredded potato and mashed potato before being fried.

Many potato pancake recipes are quite similar. They involve only a few ingredients and fry up in a flash. Some chefs recommend draining the shredded potato prior to cooking so that the pancakes will fry up crispy and not be soggy or break apart. Enjoy this recipe for “Latkes,” courtesy of AllRecipes.com.

Utilizing a slow cooker to make a beef roast reduces time spent in the kitchen, affording hosts more opportunities to mingle with their guests.

26 | November-December 2020

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Many potato pancake recipes involve only a few ingredients and fry up in a flash.

Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

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Serves 12

3 large potatoes, peeled and shredded 1 small onion, shredded 3 large eggs 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or as needed 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1. Place the potatoes and onion into a bowl, and stir in eggs, salt and flour as needed to make the mixture hold together. With wet hands, scoop up about 1/3 cup of the mixture per patty, and form into flat round or oval shapes.

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, and gently place the patties into the hot oil. Fry until the bottoms are golden brown and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes, then flip with a spatula and fry the other side until golden.

3. Line a colander or strainer with 2 paper towels, and drain the cooked latkes in the colander. Serve hot.

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Style & Leisure

BEAUTY

A New Age of Self Care We are in the throes of the 2020 Christmas holiday season and I must say it’s unlike any other I have ever experienced. This particular season will not see the traditional hustle and bustle of big crowds, lined counters and all the trappings we’ve come to associate with the season. Online shopping will no doubt go off the rails, as it has been gaining in previous years anyway. (Side note: Please shop local as much as possible).

Wow, how the world can change in such a short span of months — yet here we are. We all have had the rare opportunity to slow down, take a minute and hit the pause button. This pandemic has given us time, something we previously complained that we never had. We have adapted to doing things in a different way and very quickly at that. We are a resilient people, and quite stubborn still. We have discovered in short time, folks, that we can actually do stuff. Yes, we are learning to tap into those internal resources. Those who once thought they could not survive without a visit to the hair salon, nail salon, 28 | November-December 2020

shopping mall, (for me, thrift store) — we did it.

I believe pandemic-age self care may be here to stay. We definitely want to patronize our salons, spas, etc. when that’s all back online. Meanwhile though, it feels pretty good to be self-sufficient.

This is a great time to research and try new skin care, beauty products and experiment with eye color, since your mask covers the rest of your face. Stats reveal that more women are trying more at-home beauty treatments, managing their own hair — ponytails, buns, air drying, wearing hair natural, doing their own mani/pedi, etc. For the first time ever, skin care is outpacing makeup.

I personally am focused on listening to what my body is speaking to me. I feel this pandemic has sort of stripped away the powder and the paint and caused us to look at our bare selves as we really are. Being in the midst of the worst we can find a positive, but sometimes you really have to dig deep. We are a resilient people with faith that “this too shall pass.”

My encouragement to you during this Christmas season is that you be rooted and grounded in love, and that your feet stay firmly planted on the Rock and your focus riveted like a laser on the real beauty in this life — God, family, friends, all of humanity — that’s a big order, but we can do it.

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Style & Leisure

TRAVEL

Wonder Woman, Mother Miracle and The Holy:

Dancing with Kalpana On the second morning of my arrival at Mother Miracle in Rishikesh, India, a school for the poorest, smartest kids, I’m already deep into scribbling one of the many stories I will write. Suddenly standing before me is Kalpana, the 14-year-old girl I sponsor at the school.

Where else in the world would I want to be? In Hindi, the word is darshan, seeing and being seen by the holy. Truly a holy moment for both of us.

Among the little gifts I’ve brought Kalpana is a cardboard Wonder Woman picture frame with a photo of Marcia and me, and Wonder Woman lounging in a corner in what once had been skimpy shorts and bra. Now, for this occasion, she is properly clad in a demure navy blue sari designed by Marcia.

But Kalpana, as it turns out, is the true Wonder Woman in this real-life Mother Miracle scenario.

Children’s Day festivities at Mother Miracle are the highlight of the school year. Who is the girl dancing up a storm to Indian pop music with her best friend Sadhna? Who is all over the dance floor, even dancing with teachers? Who is everyone watching? Kalpana!

Who declares to me, “I can teach you Hindi, and Sanskrit, too, also some computer languages: Scala, Python, Java Script?” Indeed! All Greek to me, but not to Kalpana. “And when I get a really good job, I can support the children at Mother Miracle like you do,” Kalpana says.

Who shyly whispers to me that instead of sneakers or a warm winter coat, she’d rather have a lehenga, a two-piece floor-length sari-like dress, a vision in floaty tulle and satin? Who enters the dressing room 14 years old and emerges at 21, in a pale purple silky dream cloud?

Who, arriving with me at her oneroom house, introduces me to her parents, points to Wonder Woman already on the cinder block wall, and draws back the curtain of her family shrine, reverently picking up and naming each god and goddess for me? Kalpana.

When I emerge from a holy experience, from being in a holy space, how wonderful it is that I can bring home a gift to be shared with the world! What is my gift to share? It is Kalpana.

sue spirit Writes poetry and essays about nature, spirituality, writing, and travel.

She has a little cabin in the mountains. degreesoffreedom@frontier.com November-December 2020 | 29

High Country

WOMEN in REAL ESTATE

BARBARA THOMAS

DENISE WEINKLE

ROXANNE WEAVIL

Education is my primary driving force.

Today as a REALTOR ® and owner of the RE/MAX Realty Group, I continue to love being an educator, serving my clients with the knowledge needed to make wise real estate decisions.

As a Buyer’s Agent or Seller’s Agent, I provide comprehensive real estate research for the Ashe, Avery and Watauga County areas. I am member of a three person team, Thomas Home Team, which consists of myself, my husband David, and my daughter, Roxanne.

I also love my involvement with the Salvation Army - High Country Advisory Council. It is very rewarding to work with such an organization. I also work with the Red Kettle Campaign. Did you know that 82 cents out of every dollar goes directly into the community to help the impoverished in the three county area of Ashe, Watauga and Avery?

After many years in the Hospitality Industry on private yachts and traveling all over the world, my husband and I decided to settle in the High Country. Since being in Boone I have been representing Buyers and Sellers with all their Real Estate needs and have enjoyed working and accomplishing my client’s goals.

My relationships are built on Trust, Knowledge and Commitment. I am now five consecutive years in the RE/MAX 100% Club.

Let me help you work through the tedious process w/diligent attention to detail, hard work and together we can reach your goals. I reside in Blowing Rock, NC with our two dogs and cats. I love taking advantage of all that the High Country has to offer, i.e. hiking, kayaking, cross country skiing, site seeing and volunteering for many organizations in the area. Let me show you around this beautiful part of the country and together we can make your dreams come true.

NEED RESULTS? GIVE ME A CALL!!

Raised in the High Country, I graduated from Appalachian State University in 2014, receiving a degree in Business and Marketing.

My husband and I decided to stay in the area because we are passionate about the outdoors and all that the High Country has to offer, including hiking, camping, kayaking and skiing. In fact, a major part of who I am relates to helping and serving people and it is a big reason why I chose to go into the real estate profession. I have been a local MLS board director, a chair person for the Community Outreach Committee for the past two years, and a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and Highway Clean Up. Since 2018, I have achieved the goal of being in the Top 50 of agents in our MLS. My main objective is to make selling or buying your home not only the easiest process possible, guiding you every step of the way, but also to make the experience enjoyable.

"Don't tell me the sky is the limit, when there are footprints on the moon." - Paul Brandt

REALTY GROUP

REALTY GROUP

REALTY GROUP

Cell: (828) 773-6071 Office: (828) 262-1990 barbarathomas@remax.net

30 | November-December 2020

Cell: (828) 773-5021 Office: (828) 262-1990 deniseweinkle@remax.net

Cell: (828) 263-3137 Office: (828) 262-1990 roxanneweavil@remax.net aawmag.com