Surry Living Magazine - Dec, 2018 Issue

COMPLIMENTARY

DECEMBER 2018

A lifestyle magazine highlighting Surry County and the surrounding area

Home for the Holidays

BONUS: Calendar guides to the area’s special events for Dobson, Elkin, Galax, Mount Airy, and Pilot Mountain

A community this great deserves the best health care.

Award-winning, nationally ranked, comprehensive health care right here – close to home. That’s what Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital and its network of care providers offers to residents of the Yadkin Valley.

• Behavioral Health • Imaging • Primary Stroke Center • Cancer Services • Neurology • Regional Wound Center • Cardiology • Nutrition Services • Respiratory Services • Dermatology • Ophthalmology • Retirement Living • Emergency Services • Orthopedic & • Surgical Services Sports Medicine • Endocrinology • Urology • Pain Management • Express/Urgent Care • Wellness Pool • Podiatry • Gastroenterology • Women’s Services • Primary Care • Geriatrics • Pulmonology • Home Health

HughChatham.org 180 Parkwood Drive | Elkin, NC | 336-527-7000

*$0 Down, 0% A.P.R. financing for up to 48 months on purchases of select new Kubota RTV-X Series equipment from participating dealers’ in-stock inventory is available to qualified purchasers through Kubota Credit Corporation, U.S.A.; subject to credit approval. Some exceptions apply. Example: 48 monthly payments of $20.83 per $1,000 financed. Offer expires 12/31/18. See us or go to KubotaUSA.com for more information. Optional equipment may be shown.

Š Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2018

Advertiser Index Our advertisers make it possible to provide Surry Living FREE of charge. Please join us in thanking and supporting these outstanding merchants in our area:

a publication of vivid graphics SURRY LIVING MAGAZINE PO Box 6548 Mount Airy, NC 27030 surryliving.com • info@surryliving.com for editorial content submissions send to larry@vivid-graphics.com

CREATIVE LARRY VANHOOSE executive editor

VIE STALLINGS HERLOCKER associate editor

SALES TRINA VANHOOSE

OLIVIA MCMILLAN

ADVERTISE WITH US: • Reach more than 30,000 potential customers each month.

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Surry Livings Editorial Calendar for 2019: January The Wellness Issue February Wedding Venues March All Things Gardening April Let’s Go Camping May Remembering Our Heroes June Music Festivals July Patriotism

13 Bones, Page 22 A Plus Carports, Page 5 Aladdin’s Hallmark, Page 15 American Healthcare Services, Page 13 Anderson Audiology, Page 27 Blue Mountain Herbs & Supplements, Page 34 Charis Christian Book Store, Page 27 Cook Insurance Group, Page 25 Cooke Rentals, Page 20 Countryside RV, Page 7 Elkin Antiques & Collectibles, Page 13 Explore Elkin, Page 25 Farmers Mulch & Rock, Page 35 Foothills Auctions, Page 35 Francis Motors, Page 20 Friendly Heating & Cooling, Inc., Page 23 Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital, Pages 2, 9 James A Harrell Jr DDS PA, Page 15 Jonesville Chiropractic, Page 5 La Bella, Page 25 Leonard Buildings & Truck Accessories, Page 27 LL Cultured Marble, Page 25 Mount Airy Equipment, Page 3 Mullins Pawn Shop & Jewelers, Page 22 North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Pages 12, 15 North Carolina Weight & Wellness, Page 17 Northern Hospital of Surry County, Pages 21, 40 Ridgecrest Retirement, Page 39 Roy’s Diamond Center, Page 13 Royster & Royster Attorneys at Law, Page 22 Southwest Farm Supply, Page 37 Surry Communications, Page 29 The Art of Massage and Wellness, Page 20 The Nest & Hive, Page 8 Westwood Medical, Page 34 WBRF & WCGX Radio, Page 37 WIFM Radio, Page 38

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION AND RATES, CONTACT US TODAY at (336) 648-3555 or by email sales@surryliving.com • surryliving.com www.facebook.com/SurryLiving Surry Living reserves the right to deny any advertisement or listing. Submissions are welcome, but unsolicited materials are not guaranteed to be returned. Surry Living assumes no responsibility or liability for the information, services, products, claims, statements, accuracy, or intended or unintended results of any advertiser, editorial contributors, company, professional corporation, business or service provider herein this publication. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher is prohibited.

4 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

Not just at Christmas, but all year long, we celebrate the greatest gift, the gift of God’s one and only son.

(336) 648-3555 • sales@surryliving.com

FEATURED SECTIONS

HOME, FARM, & GARDEN p.8 * OUT & ABOUT p.20 *

SIMPLY DELICIOUS p.26 *

8 The Vintage Southern

26 Carmen Long: Season’s

Homemaker: Gloria Brown shares memories and helpful tips 10 A Brief History of

14 Lyn’s Medical Loan Closet

by Vie Herlocker

Snacking

ALL THE REST p.30 30 A Deeper Cut: A Novel,

Continues...

16 Sarah Southard, DVM:

Be Mindful of Your AllNatural Holiday Décor!

Christmas Tree

by Kristen Owen 11 This Little Light of Mine:

Don’t Lose Your Head!

12 Joanna Radford:

A Holiday Tradition

28 The Sweet & Savory 18 Guest Article : Jealousy,

Envy, Insecurity and the Heart of a Pastor

Life: Rynn Hennings gives reviews, food preparation advice, and mouthwatering recipes

23 Day Escape: Have you

been to Pilot Mountain Lately?

24 Gary York: Eldora Ruritan

Club’s Veterans Celebration

34 Area Event Schedules:

Dobson, Elkin, Galax, Mt. Airy and Pilot Mountain

(336) 469-4581 SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue • 5

CONTRIBUTORS

Rose Ayers

Gloria Brown

Gin Denton

Sheri Wren Haymore

The proverbial teacher and life-long learner, Rose dedicated 40 years to teaching music in Christian and public education. She taught in multiple locations in NC and TN. She grew up at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in VA with loving parents and grandparents who instilled the value of learning, appreciation of mountain culture, and preservation of our past. Rose currently owns Memories on Main Antiques and Collectibles in downtown Mount Airy, NC.

Gloria is co-owner of The Nest & Hive Shoppe, a home décor business in Fancy Gap, VA, as well as the co-host of The Vintage Southern Homemaker television show. Her musings on life growing up and living in the South have appeared in publications and on TV throughout the region. She is an expert antiques collector who grew up in the business and worked many years as a dealer in the Yadkin Valley area, where she currently resides.

Gin is the owner of Ginger Horse Studio. Her focus is lifestyle photography, covering horse shows, weddings, concerts, and doing on location portraits. Gin graduated from the University of Findlay with an Equine Business Management degree, where she also studied music and photography. She is a member of the Mount Airy Ukulele Invasion (MAUI) and the Granite City Rock Orchestra (GRO).

Gin resides in Lowgap, NC with her family on their small horse farm.

Sheri grew up in Mt. Airy, NC, and lives thereabouts with her husband. Together they run a couple of small businesses and plan their next vacation. A graduate of High Point University, her first job was as a writer at a marketing firm—and she’s been scribbling ever since. Sheri has several suspense novels in publication and Surry Living is proud to include sequential excerpts from one of her books in each issue.

Rynn Hennings

Carmen Long

Kristen Owen

Joanna Radford

Rynn is a writer and designer based in the Yadkin Valley region of North Carolina. She loves to share her ideas for adding simple beauty into hectic lifestyles. More than mere recipes, her mission is to offer practical shortcuts for food preparation along with visual tips for presentation. Rynn began her career in Aiken, SC, as a newspaper reporter writing feature articles about food, living, and the arts.

Carmen is an NC Cooperative Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences. Making quick, easy, healthy food that tastes great on a budget is a challenge.

Carmen and her husband have two grown children, both of which were involved in sports from grade school thru college. With busy careers and lots of time at sporting events, coming up with quick, healthy meals was a necessity.

Carmen shares ideas and recipes to make this tough job a bit easier.

Kristen Owen is a Digital Content Producer for Lowe’s Home Improvement. She grew up on a small family farm in Buncombe County and graduated from N.C. State University with undergraduate degrees in Agriculture Extension and Communication, and a masters degree in Communication. She has a passion for agriculture and teaching. She loves the mountains, reading, meeting people and going new places. She lives in Salisbury with husband Matt, an agriculture teacher at a local high school.

Joanna Radford is the Commercial and Consumer Horticulture Agent for the NC Cooperative Extension in Surry County with expertise in entomology, gardening, and pesticide education. She began her career with NC Cooperative Extension in Stokes County in 1995 as a 4-H Agent, later switching to Field Crops and Pesticide Education in Surry County. In 2012, she assumed the role of Horticulture Agent for Surry County. She lives on a farm with her husband and two teenage daughters.

6 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

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CONTRIBUTORS Contd.

Gary York

Sarah Southard

Larry VanHoose

Sarah grew up at Crooked Oak in the Pine Ridge community of Surry County. Raised in the agriculture world, she went on to earn degrees in animal science and veterinary medicine from North Carolina State University. She and her husband, Adam, currently live in Statesville with Oliver the house rabbit, a few cats, Blossom the donkey, and a flock of Katahdin hair sheep.

Larry is the Executive Editor of Surry Living Magazine and the Creative Director at Vivid Graphics in Galax, VA. With over 25 years experience as a writer, graphic designer, and commercial photographer.

Larry and wife, Trina, have four wonderful, grown children, one awesome grandchild, and live in Fancy Gap, VA.

Gary resides in Pilot Mountain with his wife Charlotte at Vintage Rose Wedding Estate.

A 1965 graduate of Guilford College, he received his MBA from Bucknell in ’68. His early career included service at York Oil Company and Neighbors Stores.

His passion for celebrating community servants led him to begin producing People Doing Good For Others on WPAQ in 1998, which fueled his interest in local broadcasting and ultimately his purchase of 100.9 WIFM in February 2004.

Gary’s dedication to the community extends beyond the walls of WIFM to include a photo ministry, a monthly newsletter, “The Communicator,” and prior service as a Surry County Commissioner, member of the Mount Airy City Schools Board of Education, and service as a UNC-TV Trustee. He’s a member of the Surry County Educational Foundation and Board Member of the Elkin Rescue Squad.

SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue • 7

home, farm, & garden

“— and I knew it was Christmas!”

I remember my momma taking pictures with her little Brownie camera for all occasions and sometimes just to finish out the roll. Then we would pop the roll into a special envelope and mail it off. I scouted the mail daily until the pack of pictures came back.

The other day I found an old black and white photograph of a Christmas tree.

The photograph had a white scalloped border that had “Jan. 1961” printed in small letters. It used to bother me that sometimes the date on pictures didn’t match the actual event. In this case, Jan. 1961 was taken during Christmas 1960.

As a flood of memories came back, it occurred to me that this photo was of my very first Christmas at my Ma and Pa’s house, when I was about 12 weeks old. Christmas Eve at Ma and Pa’s became a tradition every year until my Ma passed away when I was 52 years old. I missed only one year up until then. Joel and I were living in Thailand and didn’t come home until January. We celebrated and had a wonderful Christmas I will never forget, but that didn’t stop me from crying and being homesick for my Ma and Pa on Christmas Eve. To really understand my distress you have to know what a Christmas celebration Ma and Pa could throw. Pa dearly loved Christmas. He loved the Lord and celebrated His birth to the fullest. He loved for as many family and friends to come in as the house could hold. Ma was just as hospitable and cooked for days leading up to Christmas Eve supper. As I often say, my family has repeatedly proven that we eat if we don’t do anything else.

Because their house was heated with woodstoves, the bedrooms were usually cold. This made the perfect storage for Pa’s stockpile of Christmas treats. The usual inventory was a case each of oranges and tangerines and a case each of yellow and red apples. He’d also have big bags of peanuts and of mixed nuts that had to be cracked out of the shell. Then the candy. Boy did he lay it in. There were boxes of Hershey Bars and of Almond Joys. Next were the bags of jellied orange slices and spice drops, hard and stick candies, chocolate, and coconut drops. He always had cases of soft drinks stacked up on the back porch. This didn’t even count all the goodies and desserts my Ma would fix. Talk about living the dream. Ma carried on with this stockpile even after Pa died.

You can imagine the noise from a house full of people with such a bounty set before them. My son, Andy, summed it up the best I’ve ever heard. He told it this way, “I drove up and cars were parked everywhere.

Every light in the house was blazing and the smoke was rolling out of the chimney.

I shut down the engine, and I could hear the roar of voices before I ever got out of the car – and I knew it was Christmas!”

8 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

3D mammography with even greater peace of mind.

3D Mammography is now available at the Hugh Chatham Imaging Center.

Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital is excited to provide our community with the latest in mammography technology.

3D mammography provides better, earlier breast cancer detection, with a reduced chance of callbacks.

In addition, we offer C-view technology which provides less compression time and reduced radiation exposure.

Evening appointments available.

For more information or to schedule your 3D mammogram, contact the Hugh Chatham Imaging Center at 336-527-7116.

HughChatham.org SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue • 9

home, farm, & garden

by Kristen Owen

THROW ON THE TINSEL

A Brief History of Christmas Tree Decorating What do the Egyptians, Martin Luther, and Queen Victoria have in common? You can thank each of them, along with others, for the tradition of decorating your Christmas tree.

That’s right – they played a role in inspiring and promoting that time-honored tradition of decking out a tree in lights, tinsel, ornaments, and more.

I know you might be asking, “Did the Egyptians really decorate trees?” Well, not quite. But scores of ancient peoples, including the Egyptians, Romans, and Vikings, held evergreens in high esteem, believing they were special plants of the gods, symbolizing growth and life. They planted the seed (no pun intended) of revering these plant species and using them for adornment.

The Germans, however, are credited for starting the Christmas tree decorating tradition we recognize today. It’s widely believed that Martin Luther – the famous Protestant reformer – was the first to adorn a tree with candles after becoming awed by sparkling stars on a walk home. In attempts to replicate his experience for his family, it’s said that he erected a tree in his home and wired its branches with candles. However, despite Germans’ affinity for the decoration, the practice was at first slow to catch on in Europe.

The situation was similar in America. The decorating of trees for Christmas was not widely popular or even accepted. There is some record of Christmas trees being on display in the early 1800s in select American communities, but most citizens – especially devout Christians – discouraged the practice, considering it to be a mockery of the sacred holiday.

That sentiment slowly began to change though, beginning first in England in 1846 when a sketch of popular Queen Victoria and her family appeared in a London paper. If the royals had a Christmas tree, surely it was acceptable and, in fact, stylish. The popularity of Christmas trees spread across England afterwards and moved into America with the influx of German and Irish immigrants.

Early decorations were simple – people often used homemade ornaments, or natural products like apples, nuts, and berries.

With electricity came the introduction of Christmas lights and, well, the rest is history. Now you can find a decorated Christmas tree in nearly every home, town, or city across the country.

North Carolina is no stranger to Christmas trees. Our state boasts a strong industry, with more than 1,300 growers producing Christmas trees on about 40,000 acres. Fraser fir is 10 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

Illustrated London News engraving of Christmas tree at Windsor Castle, 1848

the species of choice, but there are other options like the Eastern White Pine and Virginia Pine. But live Christmas trees offer more than just a pretty face and space to decorate. They’re also good for the environment! Throughout their lifetime, these trees absorb carbon dioxide and other gases, while emitting oxygen.

They stabilize soil, protect water supplies, and provide refuge for animals. And even after the decorations have come off and the tree has served its celebratory purpose, it can be recycled, chopped up for mulch, or used to create shelter for wildlife like rabbits or even fish. Most Christmas tree growers plant one to three seedlings for every tree that’s cut, ensuring a continuous supply for our environment and for people to enjoy.

So, if you’re in the market for a live tree to decorate, I encourage you to swing in to one of North Carolina’s many farms. It’s the perfect combination – you get to carry on a tradition while supporting agriculture. But most of all, I hope you have a holiday season full of love, laughter, and memories – wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Image and information sources: www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees www.ncchristmastrees.com/educational-environmental/about-real-trees www.realchristmastrees.org/dnn/Education/Environmental-Benefits

home, farm, & garden

Don’t Lose Your Head!

by Larry VanHoose

When we were kids, my sister and I spent a big part of our summers staying with relatives in Tennessee and the Carolinas. During one such visit, we were playing in the yard when my aunt came out of the house to start fixing dinner. And when I say fixing dinner, I mean she came right out and caught up a large rooster by the hocks. It flapped, squawked, and tried everything to get away as she headed for the wood pile.

Well naturally being curious, we followed her – and right in front of us wide-eyed kids, she cut that rooster’s head off with one quick hatchet stroke. My sister tried to choke back her initial shock, but what set her to running and screaming was when my aunt let go of that headless rooster, and the dang thing took off running and flapping until it ran itself plum out of this life.

Thinking back on that day, it amazed me how long that chicken ran around not realizing it was already dead. They told us it was just a combination of habit and reflex, but it freaked me out nonetheless.

Have you ever felt like you were running around with your head cut off? Maybe feeling disconnected from yourself? Even though you are going through the motions, in a strange sort of way you feel more like an observer than a participant – your thoughts, decisions, and ultimately, your actions, seem to have a mind and will of their own.

I confess that I’ve felt that way more than I like to admit. What’s really aggravating is that I know better than to let things get to that point. I came upon a Bible verse this morning that summed it up for me: “He has lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow” (Colossians 2:19 NIV).

Jesus explained it this way, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NIV).

So how does a person keep connected to Christ, the head? All I can tell you is what works for me. I try to stay involved and active in the life of Christ. For me it means that I follow the ultimate command of Jesus. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you” (John 15:12 NIV).

Practically speaking, I think that though we continue to study and read the Bible, we often stop participating with God. Instead of joining in the work of making disciples and reaching others for Christ, we sit on the bench, getting fat and bloated on the word of God – sort of like eating without ever exercising our physical bodies. Unintentionally, our focus becomes ourselves and our own lives. It can become very disconnecting.

Paul gives some great advice we can use to stay connected. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:1-2 NIV).

As we read these sayings of Jesus and Paul, I think we can make two important conclusions.

First, it’s important to stay connected to Jesus, to continually receive our life and direction from him (as the branch does from the vine). Through both private and community prayer, through reading and meditating on the Word, and through listening and learning from good, practical, Bible-based teachers of the gospel.

Second, we need to bear fruit. That’s what healthy branches do – they bear fruit. How do we do that? By loving each other! Act on his love – don’t just be satisfied with feeling all warm and mushy towards one another – find out what God wants you to do, then do it. Remember what Jesus said, “…love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:12-13 NIV) The fruit follows love! Go the extra mile. Make that call. Send that email. Say that prayer. Take those groceries or clothes to someone who needs them. Whatever you do, don’t be fearful, ashamed, or just too lazy to act on his love. Come on, get reconnected to your head – Jesus!

Remember this admonition from Paul in Galatians 5:6 – “The only thing that counts is faith, expressing itself through love.”

SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue • 11

home, farm, & garden

by Joanna Radford

A Holiday Tradition In 1952, Jimmy Boyd, a 13-year-old American singer, musician, and actor, recorded a catchy song about Mommy kissing Santa Claus under the mistletoe. I often wonder how and why anyone would kiss under a sprig of mistletoe. The mistletoe name comes from two Anglo-Saxon words — mistel, which means dung, and tan, which means stick or twig. Therefore, mistletoe can be translated as “poo on a stick.” Mistletoe is spread on trees through bird poo. Not the most romantic thing.

The mistletoe plant is not the least bit romantic either. Mistletoe is a parasite. This means that it derives most or all of its nutrition from a host plant. Mistletoe may be found in various trees such as willow, apple, red oak, pecan, hickory, hackberry, green ash, and oak. It is most visible once the leaves have fallen off the tree. It is generally seen as a small bundle of green leaves with white berries nestled high among the branches.

Mistletoe photosynthesizes and steals water and nutrients from the host plant. Since a parasite robs the host, it does not have to compete with other plants for nutrients in the soil. Seedling mistletoe establishes its connection with the host almost immediately by penetrating the bark with root-like structures.

These “roots” will eventually reach up and down the inside of the infected branch. Leaves will begin appearing in about a year. The plant is perennial, so it comes back year after year. So, how did this parasite become a romantic symbol?

The ancient Druids hung mistletoe in their homes to bring good luck to the household and to ward off any evil spirits. The early Europeans were also fascinated with this plant and established many legends. Mistletoe was used as a sign of love and friendship in Norse mythology. This is probably the source of our kissing custom. According to the myth, a mistletoe arrow or spear killed the Norse god Balder, the god of sunlight and vegetation. His mother, Frigga, the goddess of love and beauty, was so distraught that her tears turned into the white berries of the mistletoe.

The gods restored Balder to life and Frigga declared that mistletoe would bring love, never death again. Legend states that Frigga would bestow a kiss upon those lingering under the mistletoe.

And thus, our tradition of kissing under the mistletoe. The original custom was that a berry was picked from the sprig of mistletoe before the person could be kissed. When all the berries were gone, there would be no more kissing.

Now we know the story behind the mistletoe. So, as you go this holiday season, make sure your mistletoe is full of berries!

12 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

2018 DIABETES & YOU Friends!

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If you are a person with a disability or desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in thi s activity, please call 401-8025 during the business hours of 8:15 AM—5:00 PM at least two weeks before the event to request accommodations.

home, farm, & garden

MISTLETOE TOXICITY Mistletoe has a reputation of being extremely toxic to people and pets. However, this bad rep may be overstated for humans, at least for American mistletoe, which is less toxic than the European variety.

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The National Capital Poison Center studied 1,754 human American mistletoe exposures. Of those, 96% were due to ingestion. The vast majority of patients did not show any symptoms, and there were no fatalities.

The ASPCA warms that mistletoe is toxic to cats, dogs, and horses.

Because of the vast difference in size between most humans and their dog and cat housemates, it takes a much smaller ingested volume to lead to toxicosis and possibly death in pets.

Enjoy American mistletoe this holiday and all the kissing traditions that go with it. But, as with any plant, keep it out of reach of children and pets. Perhaps artificial mistletoe might be a better choice if you have small children or pets.

If you think someone might have swallowed mistletoe, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. If your pet has ingested mistletoe, it is important to contact your vet.

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Phone 336-526-3000 131 A South Bridge St, Elkin Monday – Saturday: 10 am – 6 pm Sunday: 1 pm – 6 pm SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue • 13

home, farm, & garden

Lyn’s Medical Loan Closet Meets Local Needs

by Vie Stallings Herlocker

Lyn’s Medical Loan Closet is a ministry of Trinity Episcopal Church and is affiliated with Surry Medical Ministries. The loan closet, which opened in January 2018, provides durable medical equipment at no charge to Surry County residents who are in need due to illness or accident. The equipment is loaned for ninety days—and can be renewed by a phone call.

The organization is named in honor of Trinity’s former rector, Rev. Lyn Stabler-Tippet, who was instrumental in starting the medical equipment ministry.

Project leader, Bill Noble, describes Lyn’s Medical Loan Closet as “like a library, a phenomenal, but not a new, idea.” A similar facility operated by St. James Episcopal Church in Hendersonville, NC, has been in existence for fifty years. St. James assisted the local group with not only planning and procedural information, but also provided their surplus equipment for the start-up.

Lyn’s Medical Loan Closet has an inventory of 340 pieces of equipment with 77 pieces currently on loan. The types of equipment include crutches, canes, lift chairs, hospital beds, walkers, shower seats, wheelchairs, and more. Ten volunteers coordinate the loans and maintain the equipment.

Noble says that additional volunteers are welcome and needed.

Rev. Lyn Stabler-Tippet at the ribbon cutting last January

In the first ten months of operation, 200 clients borrowed equipment. Noble relates that one-third of their requests have come from those in the professional health industry seeking to help their patients. While the loans are primarily for local residents, sometimes special needs outside the area can be met. For example, during the recent hurricane relief efforts, Noble received a request to loan a hospital bed to a shelter in Jacksonville, NC. Volunteer Gloria Lawrence shares a story of the closet receiving a specialized, hinged knee brace. They weren’t sure if such an item would ever be requested, but within twenty-four hours a client came in needing the exact brace.

Volunteers Stella and Marilyn with some of the medical equipment

Volunteer Margie Martin describes the outreach as three-fold. She says, “Lyn’s Medical Loan Closet began first as a ministry to provide, at no cost, durable medical equipment to Surry County residents in need. It has since developed two more components. The second is that we are able to accept donated equipment from the community thus giving them the benefit of helping others. And third, we have become very adept listeners. Our clients tell us of the plights, losses, and victories in their life struggles. This is a benefit not only to the client but to our understanding as well. So, loaning, receiving, and listening are three main components of our rewarding ministry.”

Lyn’s Medical Loan Closet is a nonprofit, so donations are tax deductible. The facility is located in the Jones Family Resource Center, at 215 Jones School Road, in Mt. Airy. It is open every Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and no appointment is necessary. For more information, please call the closet at (336) 786-6155, extension 500, or Trinity Episcopal Church at (336) 786-6067.

14 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

home, farm, & garden MAINTAIN, DON’T GAIN THIS HOLIDAY SEASON This holiday season, the only thing that should be “stuffed” is the turkey. Many Americans gain between 1 and 5 pounds each holiday season. While it might not sound like much, most people never manage to lose those extra pounds. You are invited to join the 12th annual Eat Smart, Move More, Maintain, don’t gain! Holiday Challenge.

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home, farm, & garden

Be Mindful of Your All-Natural Holiday Décor!

Christmas is coming! And soon after will follow New Year’s celebrations and Easter. These holidays often find us decorating and brightening our homes with various live plants. They bring nature’s beauty inside for all to enjoy, but some also bring in the potential to cause discomfort at the least or possibly death at the worst for our house pets if they ingest our fresh, all-natural décor.

Most of us are aware that the iconic Christmas flower, the poinsettia, can be harmful if our dogs or by Sarah Southard, DVM cats eat part of it. While ingestion of the white sap contained in the leaves and stems of the plant can be irritating to the mouth and stomach, and may rarely cause vomiting, generally this toxicity is overblown. It is not a great idea for pets to eat poinsettias, but if it does happen they will most likely be just fine following a short recovery period. There are other common holiday plants that can pose a more serious risk, however.

Amaryllis is a beautiful trumpetshaped flower that grows from a large bulb. Personally, it is one of my favorites. Many retailers have kits available in the weeks leading up to Christmas that contain everything you need to grow your own amaryllis indoors through the winter.

We’re all familiar with various evergreen species that can be used to make wreaths, garlands, and roping. Types of holly, laurels, boxwoods, and rhododendrons can be problematic if eaten.

The ever-popular mistletoe is a particularly nasty toxicant when ingested.

Any of the plants mentioned may cause vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy in both dogs and cats. Additional problems caused by ingestion of amaryllis may include abdominal pain, increased salivation, and tremors. Mistletoe consumption can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, decreased heart rate, difficulty breathing, and possibly decreased blood pressure. Certainly not a recipe for a stress-free holiday celebration!

Perhaps jumping ahead a little, I feel it is quite important to also mention Easter lilies in our discussion of potentially hazardous holiday plants. Easter lilies are only toxic to cats and no one is quite sure why they affect cats in the way they do. Ingestion of even a small amount of any part of the Easter lily plant can cause lethargy, vomiting, and inappetence within a few hours. Again, even with very small amounts ingested, disease can progress to kidney failure and death if aggressive treatment is not implemented early.

While this article by no means contains an all-inclusive list of potentially hazardous plants, in case of consumption by your dogs or cats of any of the plants mentioned here, your veterinarian should be contacted immediately (even if that means an after-hours emergency call). In cases of toxicosis, time is of the essence. Many times prognosis is directly related to early intervention.

If you have concerns about plant species that were not mentioned here, a reliable resource to consult is the ASPCA Animal Poison Control website here: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/toxic-and-non-toxic-plants Disclaimer: Surry Living does not provide medical or behavioral advice. The contents of this magazine, including text, graphics, images and other material, are intended for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian or other qualified animal healthcare provider with any questions that you may have regarding the medical condition of your pet. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something that you have read in Surry Living Magazine.

16 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

home, farm, & garden

by Carey Nieuwhof (reprinted by permission)

JEALOUSY, ENVY, INSECURITY AND THE HEART OF A PASTOR You’ve felt it.

Someone you know (or follow) is experiencing ‘success’ in their lives and leadership in a way you’re not. Maybe their church or ministry is growing faster than yours, or yours isn’t growing at all.

Or their marriage looks so much happier than yours. Or…they’re married. And you’re not.

Maybe their kids look more together than your kids, or they’ve built the killer team you always wished you had, but don’t.

And deep inside, you feel it.

Sometimes it shows up as criticism or excuse-making (Well, if I had their location/money/building/people I’d be that effective too).

Or it shows up as you questioning their integrity (I wonder what they had to do to get that. Betcha they have zero family life).

Often it just shows up as misery, a sadness that makes you feel bad about yourself, angry about your circumstances and maybe even frustrated with God (hey…you called me into this. I mean, come on…)

1. ENVY IS THE DARK UNDERBELLY OF AMBITION In my younger days as a leader, there were days and seasons where jealousy and envy would get the best of me.

Why do they have more X than we have?

Why is he more gifted?

And why does she seem so happy?

And at times, envy would drive me on to do more.

There is a godly side to ambition. But ambition has a dark underbelly too – if it’s driven by envy, jealousy, and insecurity.

Strangely (and maybe mercifully), scripture suggests God often even uses our poorly motivated ambition for his glory.

But that’s no excuse to keep our motivation poor.

Theodore Roosevelt was right, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

If envy is the dark underbelly of your ambition, it will never create the kind of love, joy or peace that well-motivated ambition does, in you or your church.

You will always feel less. Nothing will ever be enough. And you will listen less to God and more to others.

And it steals much more than that, especially in the church.

And my guess is the people you lead will always suspect that something is ‘off,’ even if they can’t put their finger on what it is.

2. JEALOUSY FUELS POTSHOTS AND CRITICISM You ever find yourself dismissing someone else’s accomplishments, or being constantly critical of what they’re doing?

What is that?

Look inside.

Well, it’s at least three things: jealousy, envy and insecurity.

Often, that’s jealousy.

Every pastor and church leader feels them at some level, and if you look at the issues they cause inside us, around us and in our churches, it’s troubling.

If you have a constant string of negative thoughts and words about other people, that may be a sign that you have some confessing to do (see below).

If you’ve felt that at all, what do you do with it?

People want to be led by a leader who can celebrate the success of others.

I GUESS IT’S ALL OF US Just know that if you feel these things, you’re not alone.

As I was trying to find an explanation for why this subject is so explosive in many church circles, I quickly wrote this one line.

The line?

Someone else’s success should never make you feel like a failure.

Sometimes as a writer, you pen things that you have no idea will resonate like they do.

I didn’t think much about it until I saw that quote show up again and again (and again) on social media. All over the place.

I guess it struck a nerve. A big nerve.

Someone else’s success should never make you feel like a failure.

As much as that’s true, most of us do feel like failures when someone else succeeds. It’s pretty natural to feel that way.

But it’s killing us and our churches.

Here are three ways jealousy, envy and insecurity mess with our lives and leadership, and then a few things you and I can do to get our motivations moving in a healthier direction.

18 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

Never build yourself up by tearing others down.

3. INSECURITY CREATES AN UNSTABLE FOUNDATION Most of us come by our insecurity honestly. It’s not that we feel too good about ourselves. It’s that we feel too badly.

Of course, that’s a spiritual issue. The truth of the Gospel, to paraphrase Tim Keller, is that our situation is far worse than we ever imagined, and God loves us far more deeply than we ever dreamed.

It’s not that either is true; both are. The truth of our sin is brutal, and the love of God runs deeper than any of that.

If you don’t deal with your insecurity, you build an unstable foundation for both your life and your leadership.

Insecurity makes your emotions rise with every success and plummet with every failure.

home, farm, & garden If you anchor your security in Christ and what he’s done for you, you end up being not so fickle. And neither does your church.

3. GIVE THANKS FOR WHO YOU ARE INSTEAD OF LAMENTING OVER WHO YOU AREN’T

You can withstand the storms because you know you’re not nearly as bad as your last failure or as amazing as your last success.

At the root of much insecurity are two beliefs. First, that God somehow got it wrong when he was creating you. And second, that you need to compensate for this.

And you were loved through all of it.

That’s a far more secure foundation.

5 DISCIPLINES THAT WILL KILL ENVY, JEALOUSY AND INSECURITY So how do you move past envy, jealousy and insecurity?

Fundamentally, I think it’s a spiritual thing. Years of prayer, scripture, counseling and even some coaching is helping me move through mine.

That’s why insecure people are jealous or resentful of others and why we somehow feel we need to ‘right’ the situation by withholding praise, refusing to hire or recruit better people because it might make us look bad, and trying to control things so they work out in our favor.

Why not start each day thanking God for how he created you?

If you want to kill envy, jealousy and insecurity, try these.

Why not say “God, you have given me everything I need to accomplish what you’ve asked me to accomplish and you’ve given others exactly what they need to accomplish their mission”?

1. BE GENEROUS WITH YOUR PRAISE

That shift will also help you relinquish your controlling tendencies.

This might sound trivial, but it’s not. Insecure people are often jealous people.

4. LEARN INSTEAD OF COMPARING

But there are also five disciplines that, over the years have helped.

One of the best ways to combat jealousy is to privately and publicly commend and compliment others. Especially if you don’t feel like it.

If you’re afraid of building others up because you think it might diminish you in some way, that’s the perfect time to do it.

Comparison is a losing game no matter how you try to play it. You end up feeling inferior (wrong) or superior (sinful) to others every time you compare.

It corrodes your heart. So how to do you interact healthily with others?

Learn from them. Plain and simple.

Don’t remain silent. Don’t give them a back-handed compliment (it’s about time he did something good) and don’t qualify the praise (it was pretty good given her track record).

You grow by being around other people, so grow. What do they do well? What could you do differently?

Publicly celebrating the success of others will move you much closer to what Jesus was talking about when he commanded us to love enemies and people who persecute us.

5. GET RIDICULOUSLY HONEST WITH YOURSELF (AND GOD)

Strangely, most of the people you don’t want to compliment aren’t close to being enemies. So in those moments when others make a difference (there are many), smile and acknowledge it: privately and publicly. Be generous with your praise.

And what are the charts and numbers telling you? How can you develop from what you’re learning?

I had a powerful moment in my journey a number of years ago.

It was one of those moments where I wasn’t reading the scripture, the scripture was reading me.

2. RECRUIT AND PROMOTE PEOPLE WHO ARE BETTER THAN YOU

I was jealous of another communicator who I thought was better than me, but I didn’t know how to kill the jealousy.

I had to wrestle this one down a number of years ago as we added staff and key volunteers. I had to hire people who were better than me at so many things.

One morning as I was reading the Bible, this passage in James stopped me dead in my tracks. It described to a ‘T’ what I was experiencing in that moment.

In fact, I’m only ‘best at’ a few things in our organization right now. My goal is to continue to give as much of even that away as I can.

Another way I had to deal with this head on is when we started Connexus Church as a strategic partner of North Point Ministries. That means when I’m not teaching, Andy Stanley is. If you really want to wrestle down insecurity, just put the most gifted communicator around on the screen when you are not teaching.

It will teach you quite quickly to celebrate what others are amazing at and to be content with the role you also get to play.

Instead of blowing it off and ignoring it, I admitted (to my shame) that it described me. I prayed about it.

The next day I went back to the same text, reading and praying through it again. I didn’t leave those four verses until the ugly things they described relinquished their grip on my heart. It took over a week.

Every time I’ve read that text in the years that have passed, I stop and give thanks to God for what he dealt with inside me in that season. I’m so grateful. But you don’t get to that kind of breakthrough without ridiculous honesty about what’s really going on.

So level with yourself. And with God. We are masters of selfdeception.

Of all the lies we tell, the ones we tell ourselves are the most deadly.

When you stop the mastery, change begins.

SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue • 19

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Take a Bite Out of “Food Obstruction”

Uncle Dave is at it again. For about the fifth time in the past few months, he’s had to excuse himself from the Sunday family dinner and retreat to the bathroom to privately cough up a piece of food that’s stuck in his throat. For Uncle Dave, it’s become harder and harder to swallow – so much so that now even soft foods like scrambled eggs are getting stuck.

What Uncle Dave hasn’t yet realized is that he needs to see a doctor immediately – so his condition, known as “esophageal stricture” may be diagnosed and treated on an outpatient basis before it evolves into a full-fledged emergency situation.

“Typically, patients with esophageal food obstruction notice that they’re having difficulty swallowing their food – be it cornbread-and-milk or pieces of steak or chicken,” says Dr. Mark Appler, a

well-regarded gastroenterologist who knows a thing or two about food obstruction - which seems to have a higher rate of occurrence in Surry County (including Mount Airy) than surrounding regions.

The Culprit Could Be Scar Tissue

Having practiced more than 30 years at Northern Hospital of Surry County, Dr. Appler has successfully treated hundreds of patients for the potentially life-threatening problem. As he explains, esophageal food obstruction is not the same as a one-time event when food “goes down the wrong pipe” and gets stuck in the windpipe, affecting breathing. Rather, it occurs when food gets stuck repeatedly in the “food pipe” due to a constant and dangerous narrowing of the gastro-esophageal junction, the portion of the esophagus that links it with the stomach.

In most patients with this problem, the lower esophagus begins to narrow as scar tissue forms on the esophageal wall after repeated exposure to stomach acid – which results from chronic indigestion or acid reflux (heartburn). As more scar tissue builds up, the passageway becomes narrower and narrower -- making it more and more difficult for food to pass.

Patients who experience difficulty swallowing can be ac-

curately diagnosed with a series of X-ray images. A careful review of the images permits diagnosis and pinpoint exactly the esophageal stricture. The X-rays also enable Dr. Appler to be sure there is no sign of esophageal cancer, which can cause similar swallowing problems.

Esophageal Dilation: To Widen the Throat

For most patients, Dr. Appler recommends an esophageal dilation, a “stretching” procedure that effectively widens the blocked esophageal passageway so that food may once again pass unimpeded. The 20-minute procedure, typically done while the patient is under general anesthesia, is performed in Northern Hospital’s Day Surgery Suite. Dr. Appler uses his extensive clinical experience and superior hand-eye coordination to carefully glide a lubricated flexible tube, called a dilator, down the esophagus. He then repeats that process several more times – with progressively wider dilators – until the affected area has been sufficiently stretched. In most cases, dilation corrects the problem, which is then maintained with daily antacid medication.

Dr. Appler cautions that patients should see their doctor “sooner rather than later” if they’re having trouble swallowing. “As a planned procedure, the risk of causing a tear in the esophagus during dilation is 1 in 1,000; but when you come to the emergency room in the middle of the night, when the food has already become tightly lodged in the esophagus, the risk of perforation is 10 times higher, or 1 in 100,” he says.

Full Range of GI Capabilities

In addition to treating food obstruction, Dr. Appler and Dr. Tom Orli, his medical colleague at Northern Hospital, also diagnose and treat all other gastrointestinal (GI) diseases and digestive disorders, including stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, diverticulitis, celiac disease, colon polyps, and bowel control disorders .

This is a paid advertorial for Northern Hospital, Mount Airy, NC.

SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue • 21

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Day Escape: Have You Been to Pilot Mountain Lately?

by Hannah Lewis

Nestled in a region rich with agricultural history, Pilot Mountain is emerging as a favorite tourist destination. Annually, festivals transform this Main Street community into a bustling hub of activity for visitors and dedicated residents who love their town.

Most recently, Pilot View Vintage Market drew thousands to shop at 140 vendor booths, nosh on food truck shrimp tacos and brownies, and grab a cup of joe at Main Street Coffee.

Pilot hosts other festivals throughout the year, including the spring vintage market, Pilot Mountain Pig Out, Mistletoe Market, Mayfest in Pilot Mountain, and more. During the summer months, weekend cruise-ins take place.

Pilot Mountain State Park draws many visitors to the area. Here they can tackle trails of varying difficulty, go rock climbing, or enjoy equestrian trail rides that traverse some of the state’s most glorious backcountry.

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Hungry and eager to discover the namesake town nearby, park visitors mingle with townsfolk at Hilda’s Place for a bite to eat and to enjoy craft beers and wine. This venue is a growing music scene with regular fixtures like the Not Brothers, Wendy and Friends, and Gypsy Laurel. Gatherings at Hilda’s honor the arts; you can find the latest schedule of events on Facebook.

Next door, the Art of Massage is part massage therapy and part soul food. Yoga classes and other healing arts make the stress of the day fade away. The space, a respite from a harried lifestyle, is available as a nightly rental on Air BnB, complete with the relaxing atmosphere you’d expect from a spa lovingly appointed by its founder, Erin Needham.

Down the street, Blue Mountain Herbs and Supplements has been Pilot’s wellness resource for homeopathic medicines, herbs, natural body care products, and supplements since 1999. Foodies will say this is Pilot’s best kept secret for healthful foodstuffs like organic flours and other cooking ingredients. Owner Susie Cooper can teach you how to use all of it in fun and unique ways to improve quality of life.

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But nothing speaks to the hallmark of Pilot Mountain like the Christmas season, when festivity illuminates the town with parades, holiday markets, and shopping. A Vintage View offers one-of-a-kind, handcrafted decor and unique furnishings. Mount Pilot Country Store is home to collectible ornaments and other Christmas fare, while a stroll along Main Street is a chance to dash in and out of clothing and antique stores. The town’s residents, especially those on Main Street, bedeck their houses in Christmas decorations and lights, turning a simple drive into a Christmas pastime.

Pilot Mountain may sound familiar to fans of The Andy Griffith Show, as the characters would often leave Mayberry and travel to the big city of Mount Pilot. But these days, with new and vintage sights galore, specialty shops, activities and events, it all makes for an even greater reason to rediscover this treasured destination.

SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue • 23

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by Gary York

Eldora Ruritan Club’s Veterans Celebration

Surry County’s Eldora Ruritan Club is a most-vital provider of sharing, caring, fellowship, and community service, having honored over 120 area veterans and their spouses at the Ararat Volunteer Fire Department on Monday evening, November 5. The tradition began with a phone invitation to Vietnam veteran Roy Culler in 2014, and a good sentiment became a reality as 87 honored guests attended the first gathering.

A feeling of gratitude and honor permeated the community center as members carried this rich tradition forward in 2018.

Being invited is a distinct honor and I cherish being here tonight.”

Robert Holder, retired Mount Airy City Schools assistant superintendent and Korean War veteran said, “Veterans play key roles in our quality of life. On returning home they become school leaders, bankers, doctors, dentists, elected officials, building contractors, store owners, head coaches, and CEOs. We can count on our veterans to make sacrifices, so our families can live in freedom. Soldiers live to serve and protect.”

I praised the Eldora Ruritans for their tireless efforts to protect the values and integrity of the community and for preserving their historic club facility, the Eldora School House. Each day is an opportunity to lift the spirits of the downtrodden and less fortunate. I concluded by saying, “The happiest people are seeking and finding ways to serve God, family, friends, and worthy causes and honoring our veterans is a most-worthy cause.”

The invocation was given by Billy Smith, the colors presented

by Surry Central High School’s Air Force JROTC under the supervision of Colonel Phillip Bradley, and as is customary to start all Ruritan meetings, we joined in singing, “God Bless America.” Billy Smith (acoustic guitar), Doug Reeves (bass guitar), and Frankie Smith (keyboard) provided musical entertainment. Meaningful renditions included “Some Gave All,” “Silver Wings,” “Family Bible,” a medley of Military Branch songs, and “Great is Thy Faithfulness” (Frankie Smith solo).

Several guests honored the group with relevant information and inspirational remarks. Ruritan District Governor Donna Sutphin spoke of the value of Ruritan, the importance of growing club memberships, and Ruritan’s legacy and heritage.

She was accompanied by Zone Governor Grey Jessup.

Dr. David Shockley, an Air Force and Marine veteran and president of Surry Community College, said, “Celebrating the service of veterans and their families is a statement about courage and selfless dedication to freedom. The Eldora Ruritan Club enjoys a reputation of compassion, hope, and deep faith.

24 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

A delicious meal of baked ham, potatoes, green beans, slaw, rolls, pound cake, tea, soda, and coffee was prepared and served by the club members. Volunteers of the Ararat Fire Department ably assisted with serving the meal and cleanup duties. The kitchen crew served 165 meals in twenty-five minutes. Witnessing the servant hearts of the club members was a true encouragement and the teamwork was exhilarating.

Soon after completing the 2018 celebration, planning and preparations begin anew as club members look forward to honoring our veterans in 2019. Opportunities for service provide fulfillment for Eldora Ruritan Club members and

out & about the satisfaction of lifting another is their just reward. In the words of Mickey Venable, a Vietnam veteran, “We work to preserve the values, respectability, and legacy of our club. We invite new members to come on board and receive the blessings that only giving can bestow. We will be remembered by what we gave and shared.”

The Eldora Ruritan Club was founded in 1961, and Junior Key (91) is the oldest living charter member. The twenty, dedicated, current club members are Ken Hatcher, Martha Hatcher, Donald Hutson, Jerry Johnson, Pat Johnson, Bryson Key, David Key, Gilmer Key, Judy Key, Junior Key, Larry Key, Jeep Marsh, Billy Smith, Frankie Smith, Ron Snow, Alice Venable, Mickey Venable, Leigh Venable, Mitchell Venable, and Annabelle Whitaker.

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simply delicious

by Carmen Long

Season’s Snacking

The holiday season brings opportunities for get-togethers with friends and family—and that often involves extra food!

With the many activities and events we squeeze into the month of December, spending additional time in the kitchen preparing snacks may not fit our schedules. Yet snacks do not have to be complicated to be delicious. The idea that foods that taste good must not be good for you is also a myth. These quick and delicious healthy snack recipes allow time to enjoy the season while making some special holiday memories.

ROSEMARY CHILI ALMONDS This is an easy way to add extra flavor to your daily snack. Change it up by choosing a different type of nut or herb combination.

Tip: Make a large batch with your favorite nuts and herbs for a great grab-and-go snack throughout the week. These also make a delicious present for someone special on your holiday gift list.

Serves 8; Serving Size: ¼ cup Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Ingredients • 1 tablespoon olive oil • ½ pound (approximately 2 cups) almonds • 3 (3-inch) sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves removed (can use 1 tablespoon dried if you don’t have fresh) • 3 teaspoons crushed chili flakes • ½ teaspoon salt

Directions 1. Use a large skillet over medium heat. Heat the oil and add the almonds. Stir to coat the almonds.

2. Add the rosemary leaves, crushed chili flakes, and salt. Toss to coat the almonds.

3. Cook over medium heat stirring almost constantly for 15 minutes. Do not allow the almonds to get too brown.

Nutritional Information • Vegetables: 0 cups • Fruits: 0 cups • Calories: 250 calories • Carbohydrates: 7 grams • Fiber: 4 grams • Protein: 8 grams • Fat: 23 grams • Sodium: 230 mg Source: Med instead of Meds 26 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

MINI CARAMEL “APPLE” GRAPES

Ingredients • Desired number of large, red or green, seedless grapes • 1 tub of caramel dip for apples (I used the reduced-fat variety) • Toothpicks (optional) • Crushed nuts (optional)

Directions 1. Thoroughly wash and de-stem the grapes. A salad spinner works well to wash grapes. Dry and insert a toothpick in the stem end of each grape.

2. Heat a small amount of caramel in a microwave safe container in the microwave for 10 second intervals until it is warm and has a smooth consistency. Holding the toothpick, dip the bottom half of the grapes into the caramel. Roll in chopped nuts.

3. To make the grapes stand up, make sure there is a small amount of extra caramel on the bottom. Place grapes on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate to cool.

Note: If you have extra grapes, freeze them for another delicious treat. To make frozen grapes, place the washed and stemmed grapes on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and freeze until firm.

Store frozen grapes in freezer bag or freezer container until ready to eat.

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SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue • 27

simply delicious

The Sweet

with Rynn Hennings

T

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his is a really delicious bread pudding recipe! Croissants are the main ingredient, but the best part is the buttery, brown sugar, buttermilk sauce poured over the top of the cooked bread.

There is even an option for adding chopped pecans if you like nuts in bread pudding. It is a perfect Christmas brunch food because it will feed a large group. And most importantly, this recipe is very easy to make and can be cooked ahead of time and then reheated when you are ready to serve it.

3. Pour the milk mixture over the bread pieces. Lightly press the bread into the milk mixture until all the bread is covered.

4. Let the baking dish sit for at least an hour until the bread absorbs all the milk mixture. You can place it in the refrigerator for this time.

5. Preheat the oven to 350° F. 6. Cook for 35 minutes or until the bread is lightly browned.

If the bread was refrigerated, then you might need to add 5 more minutes baking time.

Directions for Sauce 1. Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the brown sugar, buttermilk, and salt. Bring to a boil and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Remove pan from the heat and add the vanilla and baking soda and stir. The mixture will foam from the baking soda.

3. Pour the syrup over the cooked bread pudding. Serve immediately or let cool and then cover and place baking dish in the refrigerator.

4. To reheat cooked bread pudding, preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover the pudding with foil and cook for 5 to 15 minutes, or until the pudding reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. This bread pudding can also be reheated in a microwave oven. Use a low power setting, check often, and do not overheat.

Recipe adapted from Chef in Training.

CROISSANT BREAD PUDDING Ingredients for Bread Pudding • 10 cups day-old croissants, torn into bite-sized pieces (lightly pack the measuring cup with the bread pieces) • 2 cups milk, 2 percent or whole • 2 cups heavy cream • 1 cup brown sugar • 1 cup granulated sugar • 3 eggs, lightly beaten • 1 tablespoon vanilla • 1 teaspoon cinnamon Ingredients for Brown Sugar Buttermilk Sauce • 1 cup butter • 1 ½ cups brown sugar • 1 cup buttermilk • Dash of salt • 2 teaspoons baking soda • 2 teaspoons vanilla Directions for Bread Pudding 1. Fill a greased 9x13-inch baking dish with the bread pieces.

Spread them evenly in the pan.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and eggs until well mixed.

28 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

Sweet Tip This recipe is also good with toasted pecans or other nuts.

Toast 1/2 cup of chopped nuts in a pan for 1 or 2 minutes or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Sprinkle nuts over the cooked bread just before pouring the syrup over the top. If all your guests are not nut eaters, consider toasting 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped nuts and serving in a small bowl beside the bread pudding. Guests can sprinkle the desired amount of toasted nuts over the top of their own bread pudding.

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all the rest Find out how a harmless prank entangles two college kids with a serial killer as we move to the next installment of A DEEPER CUT, a novel of suspense and forgiveness by Mt. Airy author Sheri Wren Haymore. iki sat with her head leaning on one hand and stared at her uneaten lunch. Nice going, Girl, she thought. Lose a job a twelve-year-old could do. She looked down the boardwalk toward her old booth beside the water where a pretty brunette was handing a brochure to a white-haired couple. She couldn’t understand it, really. Her boss had called just before she was to leave for work and told her she was fired. Something about her work not being satisfactory. What work? All she had to do was hand out brochures to tourists and be polite. And she had been polite, in her brisk way.

M

“Oh, yeah, right. Like that’s going to work in a town this size.”

“Then we’ll make it true. I have a sudden need for a secretary.” He pushed a napkin toward her. “Fill out this application and you’re all set.” Maybe it was because he was looking at the harbor, his gray eyes in shadow; maybe it was because she didn’t know him well. She thought she saw triumph surface in his eyes just before they narrowed, but she couldn’t be sure.

“Secretary? Nobody is going to believe that.”

“Oh, but they will. I will tell the old granny her name was on your application as a personal reference. And perhaps if I mention to Grayson Tucker that there could be a dilemma over my hiring you, he will put in a good word for me with Mrs. Kittrell.”

It wasn’t that she cared about the job or the money. The job was just “What?” someplace to be, something less boring than doing nothing. Barely. “What part did you miss, Miki?”

And Miki Stone did not need money. Dear old Wall Street Dad, “You said, ‘Mrs. Kittrell.’ How did you know her last name?” living fast and high with his girlfriend in Manhattan, saw to that.

“Well, she is Hunter’s grandmother.” His voice was smooth.

It was just so damned embarrassing, losing a ridiculous job like that. What had she done? No way was she going to tell Hunter or his granny until she figured out a suitable lie. She had a feeling Granny Jen would find the truth out pretty fast. But would she tell Hunter?

At the thought of Hunter, an unsettled feeling came over Miki.

She despised that feeling. The good thing about being with Hunter had always been that she didn’t have to think or feel anything. Just have fun, get high, push all of life’s buttons at once or push none of them. What did it matter? She had decided life was pointless, and Hunter didn’t care whether it had a point or not. That had made a pretty good match, in Miki’s view.

The problem was that Hunter was acting as if he believed there might be a point. My God, he had been decorating.

A dark shadow crossed her table, and Jack Franklin sat beside her.

She ignored him and pretended interest in a ninety-foot yacht which was docking at the end of the boat slips. More confusing thoughts pushed around in her head. Had Jack been right? Did Hunter not even care about her? And which Hunter did she want: the one who didn’t give a crap what she did or the one with the uncharacteristic concern?

Thinking about Hunter was hard, and it hurt, so she turned to Jack and smiled instead.

“Finally! There’s my Miki. What brought on such a fit of heavy thought?”

“Oh, man, you wouldn’t believe it. I lost my job.”

“Well, I can see where that would portend the end of the world.”

“So? Hunter has two grandmothers. And people remarry.”

“It was an assumption.”

“And why do you hang out with Grayson Tucker? Isn’t he the police chief or something?”

“You’re sharp, and you ask questions. I’m not sure that is an asset for a secretary. I may have to promote you to executive assistant.”

Again, Miki noticed passersby staring. “Bull. So what could you possibly need a secretary for?”

“The usual. Correspondence. Messages. Appointments.”

“Appointments?” she sputtered.

“Yes. You’ll see.”

“What kind of business are you in?”

“Oh, it’s all very confidential. But legitimate,” he added in response to her raised eyebrows. “I’ll explain it bit by bit as we go along. You accept, I hope?”

“I guess. People are going to talk, though. They’re about to break their necks staring at us now.”

“You love it. Admit it, Miki Stone. You thrive on being the center of attention, and you get double the attention when you’re with me.

Admit it.”

She turned her head and ignored him. But he was right. He looked like he ought to be somebody—somebody with absolute power— and she could make heads turn herself when she wanted to. Let the whole town talk. Here was her first new kick in weeks.

“It’s not funny. Hunter’s granny got me that job. I’ll feel like a total fool telling her I lost it.”

“You’ll begin tomorrow morning. Eight a.m. sharp.”

“Then let’s think of something else.” He made a pretense of thinking. For the first time, Miki became aware that people passing the dining porch looked twice at the two of them together.

“This is the real world, Miki. My office hours are in the morning.

Of course, I’ll take responsibility for getting you up on time if you happen to be under my roof.”

“I know,” he said with a dramatic snap of fingers. “Tell her you got a better job.”

30 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

“Are you crazy?”

He was not looking at her as he said this, and her eyes took in

all the rest the cut of his face, the way his masculine hand gripped his thigh.

“Sleeping with you will not be part of my job,” she said flatly.

“Your mind is playing games with you,” he responded. “There will be one more requirement, though.”

“What?”

“You will eat a decent meal daily while you’re in my employ.” He indicated her rejected lunch.

“Somewhere you have Southern genes, Jack.”

His laughter carried across the water. * * * Hunter met Miki’s revelation of who her new employer was with stony indifference. All he asked was, “So what do you actually do in this phantom secretary job?”

She laughed easily. “Believe it or not, he does need a secretary for a few minutes a day. If he wants to pay me to sit in the sun and shoot the breeze the rest of the time, why not? And don’t even ask what he does because I can’t tell you.”

“I wasn’t going to.”

Her third morning on the job, Miki left quite late without even a good-bye. Hunter happened to step out of his apartment in time to see her walking down the street. He called after her, “Miki! Don’t forget our date this afternoon.”

passengers, leaving it up to his crew to entertain the tourists with whatever stories they chose, true or invented. The only question Hunter had ever heard him answer was the often asked, “Do you know where Blackbeard’s treasure is buried?” No matter where on the water they happened to be, the old man always answered, “Yep. Right off to starboard there,” pointing toward a spot on the water which some open-mouthed guy would inevitably try to mark with his eyes.

This morning, after only an hour on the water, Hunter was ready for a break. After anchoring off Shackleford Banks, he and the other mate, Bill, had dinghied two loads of tourists over to the island. While Bill stayed on shore with the passengers, Hunter went back to the ship for the coolers of food and stopped a minute to rest. He sat on the polished wood of the deck, one foot propped on the gunwale, and popped the tab on a soda. It was hot now that the ship was not moving, the breeze no match for the sun.

“How old are you now, Hunter?” asked John from his seat at the wheel.

Hunter glanced at the skipper as he swallowed his drink, suspicious of the sudden interest. “Uh, twenty-one next month.”

The old man nodded. “Yep. That would be about right.” He didn’t volunteer another word.

Hunter almost let it go. After a few gulps of soda, he finally asked, “About right for what?”

She stopped and looked up at him on the landing. “Oh, I can’t, Hunter,” she called back. “Jack needs me to work this afternoon.”

“Your dad’s age the last time I saw him. He could have been a year or two older. You reminded me of him sitting there just now.”

“But this is important. I told you I can’t deal with going to Grandma Baker’s by myself.”

Hunter turned and sat up straighter, not looking at the man. He reached inside the cooler for an ice cube and rubbed it on the back of his neck.

She looked away from him toward town. Then she gave a small wave, giving in, and started off again in a hurry, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll ask Jack if I can get off. I can’t promise. ‘Bye.”

“I guess you get tired of hearing that as much as I get tired of people asking about Blackbeard,” said John.

He watched her go, tucking in his t-shirt. Today was his Grandma Baker’s birthday, and Granny Jen always insisted that he visit her at least this one day. He had never gone alone; Amy had gone with him every single year. This year, he had really counted on having Miki along.

Hunter stood up. “Actually, no one ever mentions him to me,” he said, finishing the soda and crushing the can in his hand.

Walking to work by himself, Hunter tried not to brood over his impending visit to his maternal grandparents. This morning would be hectic. He had traded his afternoon cruise for a morning harbor tour which would include lunch for the passengers on deserted Shackleford Banks. The Pirate’s Lady was booked to capacity today, July first, carrying fourteen passengers and a crew of three.

Hunter looked across the wide expanse of the sound, squinting, halfway expecting his father to materialize right beside Blackbeard’s treasure. He blinked and reached for the cooler. That was a joke.

He figured he had about as much chance of seeing his father again as he did of finding that treasure.

The ship’s skipper was a friend of the family’s, a stern old salt named John who had retired from commercial fishing to haul tourists around in the summer. He steered the ship with the wheel from the menhaden fishing boat his daddy had sailed in the 1920s, watched the sails and the tides, and kept his mouth shut. Hunter and the other mate shoved off, got the ship underway, manned the lines, talked with the passengers, wrestled with the little kids to keep them in life jackets, and occasionally chased a kid down before he pitched off the rolling deck into the water. At least once a week, one mate would have to keep a supply of paper bags going to a seasick passenger. They took turns with this chore.

Although the skipper knew every single tale that had ever been told about the town or the water, he never repeated a single one to his

“We passed a man on the water a while ago who made me think of Rob. That’s what put it in my mind to bring him up, I reckon,” John said and looked out at the water, ending the conversation.

“I’d better get this over to the passengers,” he said. “They ought to be pretty well baked and ready to eat by now.”

John grunted. If he noticed the joke, he didn’t laugh.

After work that afternoon, Hunter deliberately took his time walking down the boardwalk. He was in no hurry to get on the road to his grandma’s and in even less of a hurry to approach Jack Franklin’s yacht. At the boat owners’ ramp, he stopped. Yes, there was Miki on Jack’s deck, a notebook in her lap. She was wearing a white hat and a bright blue sun dress, impossible not to notice.

What had she been wearing when she left home?

Easing down the ramp, he saw Jack in the flybridge, talking on a cellular phone. Hunter put both hands on the dock rail and leaned forward. “Hello, gorgeous,” he said.

SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue • 31

all the rest “Oh, Hunter, you startled me. What are you—shoot; I forgot to ask off.”

“I don’t know. Maybe one time.”

“Kittrell,” came in Jack’s loud voice as he appeared on deck, putting the phone in his pocket. “Has no one taught you water etiquette?

Don’t touch my boat.”

“Leave it alone, Jack. It’s not interesting.”

Hunter, who hadn’t touched the man’s boat and who did not intend to, didn’t flinch. He didn’t even glance at Jack. Keeping his eyes on Miki, his voice low, he said, “It’s time to go, Babe.”

“Hunter, I promise, it slipped my mind. Jack, can I take off?”

“Take off? Your third day on the job?”

“It’s something important Hunter has to¬—” “I need you to finish this.”

“What are you doing?” Hunter asked.

“Keeping a tally of arrivals and departures, each boat’s registration numbers, make and model, city of origin. It’s really interesting.”

“I’m sure it is. Most of it you can get from the dockmaster, though.”

Miki looked into his eyes, confused.

“I know what I’m doing, Kittrell, and you are trespassing.”

Hunter did not move, his expression indifferent, his eyes on Miki.

“Jack, chill,” said Miki. “It’s my fault for not ask—” “Nothing is your fault. The boy has to take responsibility for his own trespassing. Isn’t that right, Kittrell?”

Hunter looked at Jack for the first time, and it was a long, hard stare. It was met by an arrogant, equally hard stare. Then Hunter looked back at Miki.

“Come on, Babe. You don’t need this. Quit, and let’s get out of here.” His voice was still quiet, but his eyes searched hers for an answer. She looked away, but Hunter could read her, and it was plain what she wanted: for him to leave.

Without a word or gesture, he walked away a few steps, then turned and walked backward up the ramp, his eyes locked on Jack Franklin’s. It was Jack whose eyes narrowed first, and Hunter turned again and walked away for good. * * *

“Interesting.”

“One-time sweethearts are always interesting.”

“Look, just leave it. Let’s get back to work.”

Miki hated this. Despised it. She didn’t want to hurt Hunter, didn’t want to care if he was hurt. That unsettled mood jammed its way back in. She couldn’t stop her mind from going over the incident, over a summer of incidents. Why couldn’t things just be cool with Hunter again? Easy and uncomplicated. He seemed to want too much from her lately, to care too much.

Granny Jen had said something about an emptiness inside Miki that demanded to be satisfied. And Miki had thought at the time, That would be nice. Just to be empty. Not perpetually bored. Not filled with these incessant cravings. Just empty. Drugs, kicks, Hunter—nothing had satisfied the great need inside her. She had never known what she needed. Now she knew. She wanted emptiness. Sedation. A cessation of her longings. Wouldn’t that be peace?

Something inside her began to shut down at this revelation.

She had never pretended that the raw craving within was for love. Maybe as a child she had craved love, but she had been disappointed so many times that her heart no longer bothered. She didn’t know what she craved now, but she knew her desires would swallow her whole if they were not satisfied. Or if not satisfied, sedated.

It was late afternoon when Jack returned from an errand. As he looked over Miki’s notes, his hand—demanding attention— touched her back. Fearlessly, she looked into his eyes, her tormented soul wide open to him.

When he kissed her, it was deep and possessive, and she felt doors in her heart slamming shut, closing avenues to love, purpose, fulfillment. These were not things she desired anyway.

Sedation. That was all she wanted. Desperately, she yielded to the heat of his hands, the insistence of his seeking tongue, the driving demands of his experienced body. “Jack,” her lips whispered, but her soul was crying, “Burn me, empty me, satisfy me, sedate me.”

Sedation. An end to all cravings.

“Cocky little devil,” Jack said harshly.

* * *

“Shut up, Jack.” Miki leaned her chin in her hands, eyes shut. That damned unsettled feeling came back. She did not need this; Hunter was right about that. She breathed deeply and tried to force the feeling away.

“Now this is novel.” Amy was speaking into the wind as Hunter sped down the narrow road, top down. “You usually whine all the way down here. Today you’re just not speaking.”

“So what was so important that Hunter had to have you with him?”

“Did you do your shopping?”

“Nothing. Just something he doesn’t like to do alone.”

“So will he do it alone?”

“He’ll probably take Amy.” “Amy? And she’s his sister? Cousin?”

“Just an old friend.”

“Sweetheart?”

32 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

He nodded to show that he had heard her.

“Oh, crap.” He slammed on the brakes and checked his mirrors, preparing to make a U-turn.

“Just harassing you. I took care of it for you.”

“Amy.” Just speaking her name was a laugh, a grin.

“You owe me big time now, boy,” she said.

“I do, I do.”

“I always like to go Down East, myself.”

all the rest “Me too, I guess,” Hunter admitted. “Tell me—I forget every year—how old is my Grandma Baker today?”

Hunter felt a chunk of ice land in his chest with his next breath.

He looked away, struggling to keep his face composed.

“She was sixty-seven last year. You do the math.”

“Son, I am so sorry to bring this up; you know I wouldn’t hurt you for the world. There was some investigator fellow around here yesterday. He seemed to think Rob Kittrell might be in this area. I figured if he had come here for anything, it would be to see you.”

“All I can ever remember is she’s old and not old-old like Granny Jen.” They drove on in silence, bumping along the road that hadn’t seen a paving crew in too long, until they reached the fishing town where his mother had grown up.

Down East, the world feels bigger, timeless, with the broad expanse of the Pamlico Sound stretching flat and brilliant in the sun. Life slows down; the noises of the world subside, and the water speaks with its own voice. It takes a certain heart to hear just what the water has to say. Hunter’s Grandpa and Grandma Baker had such hearts. The water had taught them an uncommon kindness, an unhurried acceptance of life’s storms. Still, they had not taken too kindly to their daughter’s sudden and necessary marriage to Hunter’s father and had taken even less kindly to his abrupt abandonment of their daughter and grandson. Unbidden, this particular storm of life was called to memory whenever Hunter was around.

Not that they in any way showed any disapproval of Hunter; it was just the opposite. They bent over backwards to be good to him, and that was the problem.

The Bakers were a prolific bunch, and there were cousins and more cousins in and out of Grandma’s house, on and off of Grandpa’s boat, up and down the road on bikes. As a kid, all Hunter desired was to troop along with the rest of them. What he got instead was special attention, extra hugs, the biggest cookie, an unwanted spotlight. And worse, there was a general expectation of excellence.

Horrors! The last thing Hunter wanted was to catch the biggest fish or ride the fastest bike or even have the most mosquito bites.

He did not in any way want the responsibility of making up for whatever it was his father had done.

Still, the visit never killed him, and they were his grandparents.

Good people. And so it was that Hunter reluctantly visited on the required birthday, with Amy along to share the spotlight, and a nice present that was as much a surprise to him as to Grandma Baker.

After this visit, just like always, when it was time to leave, he walked toward his Jeep, feeling vaguely guilty for not coming more often.

Grandma Baker followed him out, one arm around Amy. “I declare, you sweet little thing, you get prettier every year. You come on back—don’t wait for Hunter—you’re just like family. You know, I had an aunt with red hair. Hunter, give me a kiss. Look how tall you’ve gotten. My gracious, do you knock all the girls dead at that college or are you waiting for Amy? Look at that blush, girl . . .”

When Hunter saw his grandpa motion for him to step aside, he left his grandma still chattering and joined him beside a stack of crab traps. Grandpa Baker was stocky; years of working the water had hardened his body and given him thick, calloused hands. Now, as dusk settled the day down to a whisper, the gentle eyes in the weathered face were dark with concern.

“Hunter, I have something to ask, and it is mighty hard to say, so I’ll just come out with it. Have you seen your father?”

“His ass is dead if he comes near me.”

Grandpa Baker sized Hunter up, seeing him in a new light. “Do you think you would recognize him?”

“Yeah. Just look for the big sign on his back that says ‘gone to hell with no forwarding address.’” Hunter heard his own voice shake with the rage he usually hid. There was a silence. Far off to sea, heat lightning bounced from cloud to cloud. Hunter drew a breath, and in a voice that was now almost too calm, he asked, “Grandpa Baker, what exactly did my father do?”

After a hesitation, his grandpa asked, “Do you mean when he left?”

“Whatever.”

“Drugs, so I was told.” Grandpa’s voice was thick with Down East accent, and when he lowered his voice, Hunter had a hard time catching all the words. He heard, “. . . Rob Kittrell never came around me, anyway,” and “. . . Jen did the right thing,” and a couple more sentences he could not catch. Hunter felt more confused than enlightened.

“You said an investigator wanted him,” Hunter persisted. “Does that mean they’re still after him for selling?”

“Could be.”

“Good. Maybe he’ll get his throat slit in the harbor.” Hunter’s voice was flat and smooth, all emotion controlled.

“Hunter! What’s gotten into you?”

“I’d just like to see him get what he deserves.”

“I’m really sorry I told you about this.” Grandpa Baker put a hard, worn hand on his grandson’s shoulder. “Don’t you do anything rash, son. Don’t do anything at all. He’s not worth going to prison for.”

Hunter felt some of the tension leave his body.

“And he could be dangerous by now. You don’t know. Do you hear me? You just lay low.”

“Sure.” Hunter smiled an easy smile. He could do that; he could lay low. He had done it all his life.

“Just watch out for Jen. I already told that investigator fellow to stay away from her. This would upset her with her bad heart and all.”

It would kill her, Hunter thought.

Sheri Wren Haymore lives near Mt. Airy with her husband, Clyde, and has been scribbling her entire life. A DEEPER CUT is her second novel. To read the next installment in the book, pick up your latest edition of Surry Living Magazine. You can find A DEEPER CUT at Pages in Mt. Airy, Chapters in Galax or at your favorite online bookseller.

SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue • 33

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ELKIN EVENTS

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• Primary Care Orthopedics

DECEMBER 8: MISTLETOE MARKET 10:00 – 5:00 PM; shopping and hand crafts and vendors at depo street and town hall parking lot.

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(336) 368-5955 34 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

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DOBSON EVENTS DECEMBER 1: DOBSON CHRISTMAS PARADE The only Christmas parade around with dancing horses, candy is still thrown, and traditional favorites like floats, tractors, cars, public safety vehicles, and more! The parade occurs on Main Street between Surry Community College and Town Hall.

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MOUNT AIRY

MOUNT AIRY EVENTS DECEMBER 1-24: HOLIDAY IN THE PARK Veterans Memorial Park. American Legion Post #123 turns the park into a holiday walking trail of lights. Admission to the park is free but donations will be accepted. Monday through Thursday from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Friday through Sunday from 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM. For more information, contact Curtis Munday at 336-648-7500 or c_c_mundy@yahoo.com DECEMBER 1 & 2: CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY HOUSE TOUR Saturday: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Sunday: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 on the day of the event.

Tickets can be purchased at the Mount Airy Visitor Center. 10 Homes will be on this year’s tour. Tickets are good for both days. Tours are self-guided. Homes may be seen in any order.

DECEMBER 1: AN OLD FASHION COUNTRY CHRISTMAS! 7:00 PM. Eldora Ruritan Auditorium, 2078 Ararat Road, Ararat, NC. Admission is two dollars at the door, with donations over that amount accepted and welcomed – this stage performance benefits Sheriff Graham Atkinson’s “Give a Kid a Christmas” foundation.

DECEMBER 1 – SANTA VISITS MOUNT AIRY TRACTOR TOYLAND 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM Mount Airy Tractor Toyland – Stop by Mount Airy Tractor Toyland to see Santa!

DECEMBER 2: “THE NUTCRACKER” 3:00 PM. Andy Griffith Playhouse – Performed by New York Ballet for Young Audiences. Enjoy an afternoon with family to see this classic ballet here in Mount Airy. Tickets available for purchase at surryarts.org DECEMBER 3: VOCE CHRISTMAS CONCERT 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Highland Park Baptist Church, 1327 Grove Lane, Mount Airy. An auditioned choral ensemble, VOCE’s Christmas Concert is here to help get you into the spirit of the season with a vocal and instrumental performance of holiday standards and classical musical arrangements. Concert is FREE (donations graciously accepted). For more information, visit http://vocemtairy.org DECEMBER 7: GINGERCOOKIE HOUSE WORKSHOP 3:30 PM. Andy Griffith Museum Theatre.

Ready for Christmas? Come create your own ginger cookie house, listen to Christmas tunes, and get in the mood for the holidays! All ages welcome, $5 DECEMBER 8: ROSY CHEEKS 5K AND KIDS JINGLE BELL 1/2 MILE JOG Riverside Park. 5K start time is 9:00 AM; Kids Jingle Bell 1/2 Mile Jog 9:45 AM. Registration fee is an unwrapped toy (elementary or middle school age appropriate) or high school age gift or gift cards for our Mount Airy Police Dept. local toy drive on race morning. www.rosycheeks5k.itsyourrace.com DECEMBER 8-10: WELCOME TO VIRGINIA Andy Griffith Playhouse. Live community theatre performance of Welcome to Virginia. Showtimes: Saturday, December 8 at 3:00 PM, Sunday, December 9 at 3:00 PM, and Monday, December 10 at 7:00 PM. Tickets can be purchased at www.surryarts.org DECEMBER 14: SURRY ARTS HOLIDAY REVUE 7:00 PM. Andy Griffith Playhouse. A holiday version of our Surry Art Musical Concert! A perfect holiday outing for the entire family. One night only! Tickets are $6, tax included, general admission. For more information, contact the Surry Arts Council at (336)786-7998.

DECEMBER 15: TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS by Virginia Repertory Theatre. 2:00 PM & 4:00 PM, Andy Griffith Playhouse. For more info, visit surryarts.org or call (336)786-7998 DECEMBER 15: CANE MILL ROAD 7:30 PM. Historic Earle Theatre. For more information and tickets, visit surryarts.org or call (336)786-7998 DECEMBER 20: CHRISTMAS WITH THE EMBERS featuring Craig Woolard. 7:30 PM. Andy Griffith Playhouse. For more information and tickets, visit http://surryarts.org or call (336)786-7998.

DECEMBER 29: THE NEW SMOKEY VALLEY BOYS, BREAKING UP CHRISTMAS DANCE 7:30 PM. Historic Earle Theatre. For more info and tickets, visit surryarts.org or call (336)786-7998.

36 • SURRY LIVING Dec. 2018 Issue

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THANKSGIVING THRU JANUARY 1, 2019: HIGH COUNTRY LIGHTS 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM Sunday thru Thursday and 11:00 PM Friday and Saturday. Admission is free to this award-winning, animated light show choreographed to your favorite Christmas tunes. Visit highcountrylights. com for more information.

DECEMBER 1: CHRISTMAS AT THE REX WITH THE CHUCK WAGON GANG 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Rex Theater, 113 East Grayson St., Galax,

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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to our Loyal Listeners and Advertisers from all the Staff and Management of WBRF Classic Country 98.1 FM, WCGX 96.5 FM “The Cat,� WCGX 1360 AM, WPAQ 740 AM, and WSYD 1300 AM!

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