OutreachNC May 2019

COMPLIMENTARY

MAY 2019 | VOL. 10, ISSUE 5

the

Gardening issue Featuring: The Power of Pollinators Wicked Wisteria Thinking Outside The Plot Serving the Sandhills & Southern Piedmont

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 1

| OUTREACHNC.COM

a fantasia on the life of

Florence Foster Jenkins

Phantom of the Opera & Mamma Mia! star

Two-time Tony Award nominee

BOB LIZ McCARTNEY STILLMAN "Hilarious & deeply touching. Souvenir is a loony triumph! Extraordinary!"

"The funniest show on Broadway since The Producers!" -Jeffrey Lyons, WNBC-TV

Season Eight Sponsors

MAY 9-12 ONLY! Get tickets now!

Hannah Center Theatre at The O’Neal School

Tickets 2

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

ASK THE EXPERT – Age with Success

Educational Series

Sponsored by: Assisted Living All-Inclusive* Memory Care

elmcroft.com ©2018 Eclipse Senior Living

101 Brucewood Road Southern Pines, NC 28387 Light refeshments provided.

License# HAL-063-020

May 9 at 2:30 p.m.

End of Life Planning: What to Know and How to Plan Michelle Stinnett, Associate, Lorenz & Creed Law Firm June 13 at 2:30 p.m.

Understanding Long Term Care Kate Pomplun, LMSW, CMC, Aging Life Care Professional, Aging Care Solutions LLC RSVP to Elizabeth at 910.692.4928 MAY 2019 | OutreachNC.com 3 or email at elizabeth.ragsdale@elmcroft.com

features CONTENTS

34

46

28

ONC BOOK CLUB: I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections Review

46

30

SAILING THE HIGH C’S: An Interview with Souvenir star, Liz McCarty

52

34

56

THINKING OUTSIDE THE PLOT: Themed Gardens

40

LAND STEWARDSHIP: The Power of Pollinators

4

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

HIDDEN HOMETOWN HEROES: Patricia Lounsberry - The Gleaning Guru

WICKED WISTERIA: The Truth About Our Favorite Bloom PHOTO ESSAY: Sherry’s Bakery: An Always Come Back Place

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 5

CONTENTS

departments 17

10 12 14 15 16 17 18

ASK THE EXPERT: The Social Scene Amy Natt, MS, CMC, CSA BODY HEALTH: 4 Surprising Facts About Stroke FirstHealth of the Carolinas COOKING SIMPLE: Mango Curry Chicken Salad Laura Buxenbaum, MPH, RD, LDN SCAM ALERT: Sweepstakes and Lottery Scams Patty H. LePage

BRAIN HEALTH: Boost Your Brain with Gardening Maryanne Edmundson, PhD, LP

6

WHAT’S IN MY BEACH BAG? Kristy Woodson Harvey PLANNING AHEAD: Evaluating Early Retirement Robin Nutting, Cert. Kingdom Advisor®, CLTC®, FIC

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

26

20 22 25 26 62 63 66

CAROLINA CURIOUSITIES: Temperance Hall Ray Linville EYE HEALTH: It’s Healthy Vision Month!

Anna Fakadej, MD, MBA EAT RIGHT: Cooking for One Joy Bradford, RD, LDN SIX EASY HERBS TO GROW INSIDE Rachel Stewart GREY MATTER PUZZLES Crossword, Word Search, Sudoku OVER MY SHOULDER: Maternal Connections Ann Robson GENERATIONS QUESTION: What makes your home feel like home?

Itʼs that time of year again!

WIOZ-550 AM & Sandhills Community College present a series of outdoor concerts performed by the Jazz Band.

2019

Free and open to the public!

June 10 | July 8 | August 12 Starts at 6:30 pm

Food is served at 5:00 pm for $8.00 per plate HELD RAIN OR SHINE! (Moves inside on campus if thereʼs rain)

Stay in Southern Pines

◆ Close to Downtown Shops, Dining & Golf ◆ Sleeps 4 Comfortably ◆ Pets Welcome with Deposit

Book Your Stay Today!

info@aosvc.com | 910.692.0683 | AOSVC.com

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 7

from the editor I am sitting with my chair spun around, sunshine filtering through the window, as I stare at the newly formed buds on the maple tree just beyond the windowpane.

Spring has sprung.

With that, I have something of a confession. It’s a little dark secret about me only the closest people know (and anyone who drives past my house): I can’t garden. That might be an understatement. The hard-core truth is that I can’t keep a houseplant alive. I have no idea how to pot anything or plant anything or grow anything. At all...of any season, variety or origin. I have tried, in earnest, to keep a Christmas cactus going for 10 years now. I’ve gone through about 15 of them, to no avail.

I have a black thumb.

Yet, I keep trying. I try because I see the effects of gardening in the lives of people I love. My sister’s garden is her greatest solace. She goes there when she needs to reconnect, with nature or herself. She has spent the better part of 20 years developing, planning, re-planning and tending to her garden, and when I visit her home in the Pacific Northwest, I can feel the love and nurturing born from that attention.

I have seen plants brighten otherwise dreary spaces, breathe new life into tired seasons and cheer up countless people in moments of need. And it is not lost on me that the food I eat and the chain it depends upon all comes down to that murky subject I left behind in middle school: science. Terms like photosynthesis, chloroplast and xylem still float around my brain, reminding me there is more to the life around us than social media and a good cocktail.

This month, we’re digging into the power of pollinators and how we can all be good stewards of our precious land (p. 40), one woman’s mission to glean the food left behind when modern farming machinery has done its best (p. 46), garden varieties to nurture our plot creativity (p. 34) and the surprising wickedness of the wisteria I love to ogle (p. 52).

We’re also getting our fill of donuts and other assorted baked goods and quality company at Sherry’s Bakery in Dunn (p. 57) because there are never too many donuts or solid, heartfelt conversations to go around. Finally, in recognition of Memorial Day and all of the soldiers who have served and continue to serve in our military, we turn to the words of Walt Whitman in remembrance (pg. 64).

In the immortal words of Cicero, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”

Indeed.

CORRECTIONS

In the “Drivin’ for Lunch” column of our April 2019 issue, the phone number for Crawford’s Diner was listed incorrectly.

The correct number is: 910.571.0975. We apologize for the error.

8

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

Don’t miss out on getting your monthly copy of

Have it delivered right to you!

Editor-in-Chief Amy Phariss | Editor@OutreachNC.com Creative Director Kim Gilley | The Village Printers

Subscribe today!

Receive 12 issues for only $26.99!

Creative & Graphic Designer Sarah McElroy | The Village Printers Ad Designers Stephanie Budd, Cyndi Fifield, Sarah McElroy Proofreader Kate Pomplun Photography Brady Beck, Morgan Masson, Diana Matthews Contributors Brady Beck, Melanie Blacker, Joy Bradford, Laura Buxenbaum, Eddie Carmichael, Maryanne Edmundson, Anna Fakadej, FirstHealth of the Carolinas, Madison H.V. Hall, Kristy Harvey, Patty LePage, Ray Linville, Amy Natt, Crissy Neville, Robin Nutting, Kennedy Petersen, Amy Phariss, Ann Robson, Rachel Stewart Publisher Amy Natt | AmyN@AgingOutreachServices.com Marketing & Public Relations Director Susan McKenzie | SusanM@AgingOutreachServices.com Circulation 910-692-0683 | info@OutreachNC.com OutreachNC PO Box 2478 | 676 NW Broad Street Southern Pines, NC 28388 910-692-9609 Office | 910-695-0766 Fax info@OutreachNC.com | www.OutreachNC.com OutreachNC is a publication of The entire contents of OutreachNC are copyrighted by Aging Outreach Services. Reproduction or use without permission of editorial, photographic or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. OutreachNC is published monthly on the first of each month.

Distributed within

Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Robeson and Scotland Counties.

OutreachNC.com info@outreachnc.com 910-692-9609 or mail a check to: PO BOX 2478 Southern Pines, NC 28388 MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 9

advice

Our Aging Life Care ProfessionalsTM will answer any aging questions you may have.

Email us your questions!

ASK THE EXPERT

info@OutreachNC.com

The Social Scene

by Amy Natt, MS, CMC, CSA

Q: A year ago I moved closer to my mom so that she could stay in her own home as she ages. I have noticed that her social life is declining, and she seems more isolated. She has always been very social and it is difficult to watch her just sit around. Would she be better off in a retirement community?

Aging in our own home is often the stated goal as we think about our “golden years”. The problem with that can be isolation, especially if a spouse dies, friends move away, or the ability to participate in social activities declines. It is great that you moved closer to help out and can observe first-hand the changes taking place. Your move is certainly valid, even if your mom does decide to move to a retirement community.

a way to strike a better balance. Seeing the social activities listed out for the month can help a person feel more connected. Here are some things you might try:

A good starting point would be to determine why she is staying home more. Does she have mobility issues?

Is she experiencing memory problems? Could she be depressed? Does she still have opportunities for socialization? There are a variety of reasons a person may become more isolated. Working with her medical team and/or other social service professionals can help you identify why you might be seeing a change. Once you have identified and addressed possible causes, you can move forward with a plan of action.

• Locate and participate in local senior center programs and activities.

It is important that your mom be involved and feel like a part of any decisions that may impact her living arrangement. Her “buy in” to the idea is important to adjustment. Ideally the two of you can have a conversation about her options. Involving other siblings, professionals or close friends might be helpful as well. You want her to feel in control of the process and any decisions being made, even if you are prompting the conversation.

There are a few options you might discuss to increase socialization. It helps to have a desk calendar that you can use to write out upcoming dates or events. There should be something to look forward to each week.

Even routine things, like a trip to the hair dresser can be a social activity. If you find the entire calendar is filled with medical appointments, you need to find 10

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

• Join a local book club with her. If she is having memory issues, you can be there to help her remember key discussion points.

• Participate in a local adult day program.

• Consider forming a lunch group of other mother/ daughter duos in the area.

• Look for volunteer opportunities, such as walking dogs or reading to kids.

• Consider hiring a companion who can get her out to activities she might enjoy but is no longer comfortable doing alone.

The option of a retirement community or assisted living facility would offer a more structured environment with activities and group meal options. A good starting point would be set up lunch at a few and plan some visits during activity times. Maybe visit one per month to get her comfortable with the idea. You can ask the community staff to help make introductions to other residents who might be close to her age and functional level. Try not to overwhelm her with thoughts of a move or selling her house; just introduce her to the communities available and try to find one that is a good fit for her. If she has friends who have moved to similar communities, try setting up some time with them as well. Change can be very intimidating, but you can help by introducing options and offering encouragement.

If an unforeseen circumstance were to occur that prompted a transition from home to facility, it will help that she has had some previous exposure, so the time you spend exploring now is well spent.

It’s not easy to see life changing around you, often beyond your control. So be patient with her and try to address the underlying issues that are creating the changes you see. Continue to offer resources and options, knowing it may take some time to embrace a new idea.

Living Simply Is Simply Marvelous At Scotia Village

Readers may send questions to Amy Natt, an Aging Life Care ProfessionalTM, certified senior advisor and CEO of Aging Outreach Services. She can be reached at amyn@agingoutreachservices.com .

If you’re looking for a way to simplify your life and retire in ease, an apartment at Scotia Village Retirement Community is the perfect choice.

With apartment floorplans ranging from 400 to 1,450 square feet, Scotia Village combines convenience with comfort, to provide the room you need and the lifestyle you want. Best of all, you’ll be part of an active community where friendships blossom.

We invite you to see our newly designed studio apartment, staged by Parker Furniture.

To arrange a visit, call us at 910-266-5024.

LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE

S C OT I AV I L L AG E . O R G | 9 1 0 - 2 6 6 - 5 0 2 4 2 2 0 0 E L M AV E . , L AU R I N B U R G , N C A PRESBYTERIAN HOMES, INC. COMMUNITY

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 11

health

B O D Y H E A LT H

Four Surprising Facts About Stroke

by FirstHealth of the Carolinas

During National Stroke Month, Melanie Blacker, M.D., neurohospitalist and medical director of the stroke center at FirstHealth of the Carolinas, shares some surprising facts about stroke you may not know.

1. There are different kinds of stroke.

The most common type of stroke is Ischemic Stroke. Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel carrying blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot and a portion of the brain is deprived of oxygen. Ischemic strokes account for about 87 percent of all strokes. This type often exhibits the more obvious stroke symptoms. The best way to remember these symptoms is to use the acronym F.A.S.T.

F A S T

- Is one side of the FACE drooping down or numb?

- Is there sudden weakness or numbness in either ARM? - Is SPEECH slurred or the person unable to speak/hard to understand?

- TIME is of the essence. Call 9-1-1 immediately!

the brain of oxygen. The most common signs of this type of stroke are nausea, vomiting, sudden loss of consciousness, intense headaches and numbness that may occur on only one side of the body or all over.

2. Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIA) are serious events.

When blood flow to part of the brain stops for a short period of time, also called transient ischemic attack (TIA), it can mimic stroke-like symptoms. These symptoms appear and last less than 24 hours before disappearing. While TIAs generally do not cause permanent brain damage, they are a serious warning sign that a stroke may happen in the future and should not be ignored.

3. Where you live might contribute to your chances of a stroke.

People from the Southeast United States have the highest rates of stroke risk in the entire country. In a band, often called the “stroke belt,� that stretches from the panhandle of Texas and goes straight across the ocean, the rates are remarkably higher than in other regions. North Carolina is ranked 6th highest state for stroke mortality, 23 percent higher than the national rate.

Additional symptoms of stroke that should not be ignored include sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden trouble walking (dizziness, loss of balance or coordination), or sudden severe headache with no known cause.

In the past 10 years, the number of stroke patients treated at FirstHealth hospitals has increased significantly from 470 to 685 annually. In 2018, 90 percent of strokes were ischemic and 10 percent were hemorrhagic. In addition, another 217 patients had transient ischemic attacks.

The second type is Hemorrhagic Stroke. Hemorrhagic strokes are less common; in fact only 13 percent of all strokes are hemorrhagic, but they are responsible for about 40 percent of all stroke deaths. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel or clot bursts and spills blood, depriving

4. There are a lot of risk factors that can contribute to stroke.

Eating habits, physical activity, smoking and drinking are examples of lifestyle stroke risk factors. Lifestyle risk factors are habits or behaviors people choose to engage in. If

12

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

changed, they can directly affect some medical risk factors by improving them.

U N C R E X H E A LT HC A R E P R ESENTS

High blood pressure, atrial fibrillation (AFib), high cholesterol, diabetes and circulation problems are medical risk factors for stroke that can often be controlled by medications and special diets. It’s important to talk to your health care provider about treatment options.

Some risk factors for stroke are simply not controllable but knowing what they are is still important in determining your overall risk for stroke.

Flex Lawn Pass 10-pack just $210!*

Age: A stroke can happen to anyone, at any time and any age. Stroke risk however, increases with age. After the age of 55, stroke risk doubles for every decade a person is alive.

Symphonie Fantastique and “Play with the Pros”

Gender: Women experience more strokes each year than men, mainly because women live longer than men and stroke occurs more often at older ages. By having strokes at an older age, women suffer greater disability after stroke.

Women are less aware that they are at a higher risk for stroke and only somewhat knowledgeable about the risk factors themselves. Stroke kills twice as many women as breast cancer does every year.

Plus, kids 12 and under are always admitted free on the lawn!

SAT, MAY 25 | 7:30PM A SPACE SPECTACULAR

Family Fun Event!

A Space Spectacular SAT, JUNE 1 | 7:30PM CONCERT SPONSOR: RESIDENCE INN RALEIGH DOWNTOWN

Piazzolla’s Four Seasons FRI, JUNE 7 | 7:30PM

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons SAT, JUNE 8 | 7:30PM VIVALDI’S FOUR SEASONS

CONCERT SPONSOR: DELOITTE

Stroke incidence is higher in men at younger ages.

Classics Under the Stars

Race/Ethnicity: African Americans have twice the risk of stroke, partially because they are more susceptible to high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity. Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islanders also have higher risk of stroke than Caucasians.

CONCERT SPONSOR: GALLOWAY RIDGE AT FEARRINGTON

Family History: Your stroke risk increases if a family member (parent, grandparent or sibling) has had a stroke or a heart attack at an early age.

SAT, JUNE 15 | 7:30PM

Ben Folds SAT, JUNE 22 | 7:30PM CONCERT SPONSOR: BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NC

Broadway’s Greatest Hits SAT, JUNE 29 | 7:30PM

BEN FOLDS

Free concert with fireworks!

Independence Day F RE CON E Celebration CERT THUR, JULY 4 | 7:30PM

Russian Nights After receiving her medical degree from West Virginia School of Medicine, Dr. Melanie Blacker, M.D. completed her neurology residency at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C. She also had the opportunity to train at The National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke, part of the National Institute for Health, the single largest research entity in the world engaged in both basic science and clinical research in the neurosciences. Dr. Blacker joined FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital as a neurohospitalist in 2014. In January 2017, Dr. Blacker was appointed FirstHealth’s stroke center medical director, a role in which she works to improve stroke care throughout the FirstHealth hospital system and in the community at large.

SAT, JULY 6 | 7:30PM BRASS TRANSIT

The Music of Chicago with Brass Transit FRI, JULY 12 | 7:30PM CONCERT SPONSOR: RGA INVESTMENTS

Presentation

Annual Beach Party starring The Embers SAT, JULY 20 | 7:30PM CONCERT SPONSOR: RALEIGH WINDOWS & SIDING

*Price does not include tax.

ncsymphony.org | 919.733.2750 | 877.627.6724 PRESENTED BY

SPONSORED BY

HOSTED BY

INSTRUMENT ZOO SPONSORED BY

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 13

life

COOKING SIMPLE

With all of the gardening, hiking and other assorted outdoor activity with warmer weather, brighter skies and summer just around the corner, this recipe is an easy, go-to meal for a light lunch between kayaking trips and garden weeding. It’s equally perfect for a dinner with friends, served on the patio (of course), with a wine spritzer or glass of lemonade. Many thanks to Laura Buxenbaum, with The Dairy Alliance, for providing us another simple, healthy slam dunk.

Mango Curry Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups grilled skinless, boneless chicken breasts (1/2-inch pieces) • 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt • 1 teaspoon curry powder • 1/2 cup cubed mango • 1 cup dried, sweetened cranberries • 1/2 cup walnuts coarsely chopped • 1/3 cup Mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Instructions

1. Grill chicken breasts, cut into small pieces and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, blend yogurt and curry with a whisk and stir in chicken, mango, cranberries, walnuts and Mozzarella.

3. Mix well 4. Serve on lettuce leaves if desired.

14

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

SCAM ALERT

advice

Sweepstakes and Lottery Scams

by Patty H. LePage Have you ever gotten a call, email, or postcard saying you won a prize only to find out that it was a scam? You are not alone. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), of all scams reported to the agency, sweepstakes and lottery scams are the third highest reported scam. Since 2013, $110 million has been lost by consumers to this type of fraud.

In early 2018, the FTC in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice, took legal action to stop two large sweepstakes scamming operations that were targeting older Americans. One operation used different types of mailers to scam their victims.

Some told individuals they had won a large cash prize and only needed to pay a small processing fee in order to receive their winnings.

Others prompted consumers to enter a contest by answering a math question and paying an entrance fee. No matter what scamming method these criminals used, the results where the same: people lost their money and did not win the prize.

The FTC successfully shut down this operation and is forcing the organization to forfeit $30 million in cash and assets as restitution. Money obtained from the forfeiture will be redistributed to the victims of this particular sweepstakes scam. This is the largest forfeiture of assets ever obtained by the FTC from sweepstakes scammers.

Although the FTC did exemplary work in shutting down these operations, there are still many other sweepstakes and lottery scams still in full operation.

What can you do to protect yourself and your loved ones from sweepstakes and lottery scams? The most important thing to remember here is the old saying, “if it seems to good to be true, it probably is.” Scammers count on you being willing to spend a little to gain a lot, but a true prize does not come with a request for money. So, keep your money and financial information to yourself.

If someone is asking you to wire money or use gift cards to pay them, it is a sure sign of a scam.

If you are one of those people who instantly sees these scams for what they are, then share that information with friends and family, especially older adults. They may receive the same postcard or phone call and if you have prepared them, they can avoid being a victim of this type of scam. Better yet, share this monthly column with anyone you know who may be at risk for becoming a victim of a scammer.

If you or anyone you know has already been the victim of a sweepstakes or lottery scam, it is important to report these predatory criminals to the proper authorities. You should report these criminals even if you did not fall for their plot.

This will help authorities to stop these scammers before they can steal someone else’s hard-earned money as well.

You can report sweepstake and lottery scams to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.

Patty holds a Bachelor of Science from UMUC, a Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California and is pursuing her Doctorate in Business Administration at UMUC. She also holds an executive certificate in the Principles of Leading Transformational Nonprofits from the University of Notre Dame.

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 15

health

B R A I N H E A LT H

Boost Your Brain with Gardening

by Maryanne Edmundson, Ph. D., L.P. When you garden you don’t just grow plants; you grow dementia diagnosis. Even if the person is no longer able to your brain power! Studies suggest that gardening provides complete some of the gardening tasks themselves, they may several methods for improving our daily brain health and be able to benefit from the calming sensory stimulation it can functioning. First, it is a physical activity and, by reducing provide, such as bright colors, soothing smells, and activity cardiovascular risk, regular physical exercise helps to reduce of birds and butterflies attracted to certain plants. A garden one’s risk of developing dementia. It also gets you out into can be a quiet place to sit and relax when feeling upset. Some the sun – a moderate amount of sunlight can help your body studies even show that people with dementia who regularly produce vitamin D, which is essential for our brain cells to garden have better daily attention, sleep, and overall health, function appropriately. If you are uncertain of how much and less agitation, pain, depression, anxiety, and stress. exercise or sunlight (or vitamin D for that matter) is healthy Gardening is not the only activity that can be beneficial for you given your medical history, check with your to someone with dementia, but is a good option primary medical provider. Second, gardening to explore. provides mental and sensory stimulation, from You may be unsure if you or your loved one the creativity and planning required to set up can participate in gardening because of your your garden to the smell and colorful sights of individual needs and abilities. Thankfully, flowers and other plants to the feeling of soil gardens can be adapted to fit you! If you use between your fingers to the taste of the literal a wheelchair, can’t bend down, or are at risk of fruits of your labor. Growing plants can be a falling, you might set up raised beds, use window way to routinely exercise your brain’s abilities, boxes, or have potted plants in your home, have and the more we challenge our brains the better garden railings, or include wide smooth garden connections we can make between brain cells. Over walkways.

If you have age-related visual degeneration, time, this helps us optimize our thinking speed and you might use garden supplies that are less reflective performance. Third, the mental stimulation of gardening, being in nature, and regularly doing an activity that you enjoy (producing less glare) and choose an open plant arrangement with fewer dark areas that are harder to see. If affordability can improve daily mood and reduce general stress. Finally, is a factor, you may consider joining a community garden. If you can grow herbs and vegetables that are healthy you and a loved one with dementia are planning a garden, you for brain functioning, such as leafy greens, tomatoes, may choose a simplified garden design that is easier for them fruits, and berries. to navigate and plan to have the garden visible from their Some research has also investigated contributions that favorite chair inside the home so they can see it even when gardening can have toward the wellbeing of individuals with they cannot be outside (such as when it’s too hot or cold out). dementia. Gardening can be added as a part of a daily routine If you have questions about adapting gardening for your loved for someone with dementia, which can improve life quality one who has cognitive difficulties and/or dementia, consult and satisfaction by giving them a purposeful and meaningful with your local neuropsychologist. activity, provide an opportunity for social interaction and sense of community, and, if the person used to garden in the Dr. Maryanne Edmundson is a clinical past, gives them a chance to utilize old skills and reminisce neuropsychologist at Pinehurst about good memories. If you include your loved one with Neuropsychology Brain & Memory dementia in the planning process, set up, and regular upkeep, Clinic. She can be reached at 910-4208041 or through the website at www. it could increase their sense of independence, control, pinehurstneuropsychology.com. creativity, and personhood, all of which can be shaken by a 16

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

INTRODUCING:

The Southern Side of Paradise by Kristy Woodson Harvey From internationally bestselling author and “rising star of Southern fiction” (Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author) Kristy Woodson Harvey comes the third novel in her Peachtree Bluff series, in which a secret threatens the tight-knit bond between a trio of sisters and their mother.

With Kristy Woodson Harvey’s signature charm, wit, and heart, The Southern Side of Paradise is another masterful Peachtree Bluff novel that proves she is a “Southern writer with staying power” (Booklist).

Kristy will be signing copies of her new book The Southern Side of Paradise, on June 6th 5:00 pm at the Country Bookshop 140 NW Broad Street | Southern Pines, NC 28387

WHAT’S IN MY BEACH BAG?

by Kristy Woodson Harvey

I live at the beach, so packing my beach bag is an every day occurrence during the summer. I don’t like it to be overloaded, so I am very particular about what goes in there—and, with a seven-year-old son, things can get crowded quickly! These are some of my tried-and-true, go-to beach staples that I return to year after year.

1. KISS MY FACE CLEAR SUNSCREEN: If you have kids, you know that spray sunscreen is a total game-changer. This one is light, never sticky and doesn’t have any scary chemicals. Our whole family loves it and it gives us great coverage, so I don’t have to have five different sunscreens clanging around. (I also keep a Mineral Fusion powder stick to swipe over my face!)

2. SERENA & LILY BEACH TOWELS: We are obsessed with Serena & Lily beach towels. They are oversized enough to spread on the beach, lightweight enough that they don’t weigh your bag down, are super durable wash after wash and come in adorable colors. They’re our favorite!

3. MRS. EVERYTHING. I am so lucky to get to read a lot of books early, and I can tell you that one of my favorite beach reads this year is Jennifer Weiner’s Mrs. Everything. It follows two sisters throughout their entire lives, from their girlhood in the ‘50s right on through. It’s poignant and resonant but also fun enough to make it qualify as a beach read.

4. WELEDA LIP BALM. My hands-down favorite for chapped lips. It’s thick enough to stay on for hours.

5. J.CREW TEXTURED SUMMER STRAW HAT. I am in the sun pretty much every day all summer long, so I always like to have a good, big floppy hat to protect my face. J.Crew’s always fit the bill.

6. AMANDA LINDROTH BEACH BAG. I’ll be honest: I have quite a few beach bags. But my favorite by a long shot is my Amanda Lindroth bag with my pink-and-white monogram painted on. It’s so cute!

7. JOHNNIE-O SWIM GEAR. My son is picky, picky, picky about what he wears, but Johnnie-O is a favorite. I always make sure to have an extra sun shirt and bathing suit in my bag for him so he can change into something dry on the boat ride home. Plus, they’re cute enough that we can grab dinner out on the way home.

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 17

advice

PLANNING AHEAD

Evaluating an Early Retirement Offer

by Robin Nutting, Certified Kingdom Advisor®, CLTC®, FIC

In today’s corporate environment, cost cutting, restructuring, and downsizing are the norm, and many employers are offering their employees early retirement packages. But how do you know if the seemingly attractive offer you’ve received is a good one? By evaluating it carefully to make sure that the offer fits your needs.

What’s the severance package?

Most early retirement offers include a severance package that is based on your annual salary and years of service at the company. For example, your employer might offer you one or two weeks’ salary (or even a month’s salary) for each year of service. Make sure that the severance package will be enough for you to make the transition to the next phase of your life. Also, make sure that you understand the payout options available to you. You may be able to take a lump-sum severance payment and then invest the money to provide income, or use it to meet large expenses. Or, you may be able to take deferred payments over several years to spread out your income tax bill on the money.

How does all of this affect your pension?

If your employer has a traditional pension plan, the retirement benefits you receive from the plan are based on your age, years of service, and annual salary. You typically must work until your company’s normal retirement age (usually 65) to receive the maximum benefits. This means that you may receive smaller benefits if you accept an offer to retire early. The difference between this reduced pension and a full pension could be large, because pension benefits typically accrue faster as you near retirement.

However, your employer may provide you with larger pension benefits until you can start collecting Social Security at age 62. Or, your employer might boost your pension benefits by adding years to your age, length of service, or both. These types of pension sweeteners are key features to look for in your employer’s offer — especially if a reduced pension won’t give you enough income.

Does the offer include health insurance?

Does your employer’s early retirement offer include medical coverage for you and your family? If not, look at your other health insurance options, such as COBRA, a private policy, dependent coverage through your spouse’s employer-sponsored plan, or an individual health insurance policy through either a state-based or federal health insurance Exchange Marketplace. Because your health-care costs will probably increase as you age, an offer with no medical coverage may not be worth taking if these other options are unavailable or too expensive. Even if the offer does include medical coverage, make sure that you understand and evaluate the coverage. Will you be covered for life, or at least until you’re eligible for Medicare? Is the 18

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

coverage adequate and affordable (some employers may cut benefits or raise premiums for early retirees)? If your employer’s coverage doesn’t meet your health insurance needs, you may be able to fill the gaps with other insurance.

What other benefits are available?

Some early retirement offers include employer-sponsored life insurance. This can help you meet your life insurance needs, and the coverage probably won’t cost you much (if anything). However, continued employer coverage is usually limited (e.g., one year’s coverage equal to your annual salary) or may not be offered at all. This may not be a problem if you already have enough life insurance elsewhere, or if you’re financially secure and don’t need life insurance. Otherwise, weigh your needs against the cost of buying an individual policy. You may also be able to convert some of your old employer coverage to an individual policy, though your premium will be higher than when you were employed.

In addition, a good early retirement offer may include other perks. Your employer may provide you and other early retirees with financial planning assistance. This can come in handy if you feel overwhelmed by all of the financial issues that early retirement brings. Your employer may also offer job placement assistance to help you find other employment. If you have company stock options, your employer may give you more time to exercise them.

Other benefits, such as educational assistance, may also be available. Check with your employer to find out exactly what its offer includes.

Can you afford to retire early?

To decide if you should accept an early retirement offer, you can’t just look at the offer itself. You have to consider your total financial picture. Can you afford to retire early?

Even if you can, will you still be able to reach all of your retirement goals? These are tough questions that a financial professional should help you sort out, but you can take some basic steps yourself.

Identify your sources of retirement income and the yearly amount you can expect from each source. Then, estimate your annual retirement expenses (don’t forget taxes and inflation) and make sure your income will be more than enough to meet them. You may find that you can accept your employer’s offer and probably still have the retirement lifestyle you want. But remember, these are only estimates.

Build in a comfortable cushion in case your expenses increase, your income drops, or you live longer than expected.

If you don’t think you can afford early retirement, it may be better not to accept your employer’s offer. The longer you stay in the workforce, the shorter your retirement will be

and the less money you’ll need to fund it. Working longer may also allow you to build larger savings in your IRAs, retirement plans, and investments. However, if you really want to retire early, making some smart choices may help you overcome the obstacles. Try to lower or eliminate some of your retirement expenses. Consider a more aggressive approach to investing. Take a part-time job for extra income. Finally, think about electing early Social Security benefits at age 62, but remember that your monthly benefit will be smaller if you do this.

What if you can’t afford to retire? Finding a new job.

You may find yourself having to accept an early retirement offer, even though you can’t afford to retire. One way to make up for the difference between what you receive from your early retirement package and your old paycheck is to find a new job, but that doesn’t mean that you have to abandon your former line of work for a new career. You can start by finding out if your former employer would hire you as a consultant. Or, you may find that you would like to turn what was once just a hobby into a second career. Then there is always the possibility of finding full-time or parttime employment with a new company.

However, for the employee who has 20 years of service with the same company, the prospect of job hunting may be terrifying. If you have been out of the job market for a long time, you might not feel comfortable or have experience marketing yourself for a new job. Some companies provide career counseling to assist employees in re-entering the workforce. If your company does not provide you with this service, you may want to look into corporate outplacement firms and nonprofit organizations in your area that deal with career transition.

Note: Many early retirement offers contain noncompetition agreements or offer monetary inducements on the condition that you agree not to work for a competitor. However, you’ll generally be able to work for a new employer and still receive your pension and other retirement plan benefits.

The information provided in these materials, developed by an independent third party, is for informational purposes only and has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable. However, Thrivent Financial does not guarantee that the foregoing material is accurate or complete. The material is general in nature and does not purport to be a complete description of the products, securities, concepts, services, markets, or developments referred to in this material. This information is not intended as a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any product or service referred to herein. The information does not take into consideration your personal financial or account information.

Products mentioned may not be suitable for all individuals.

Hypothetical examples are for illustrative purposes only. Past performance may not be indicative of future results. Thrivent Financial representatives and employees cannot provide legal, accounting, or tax advice or services.

Work with your Thrivent Financial representative, and as appropriate, your attorney and/or tax professional for additional information. Thrivent Financial and its respective associates and employees have general knowledge of the Social Security tenets; however, they do not have the professional expertise for a complete discussion of the details of your specific situation.

For additional information, contact your local Social Security Administration office. THRIVENT FINANCIAL IS THE MARKETING NAME FOR THRIVENT FINANCIAL FOR LUTHERANS. Insurance products issued or offered by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton, WI. Not all products are available in all states. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., 625 Fourth Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55415, a FINRA and SIPC member and a wholly owned subsidiary of Thrivent.

Thrivent Financial representatives are registered representatives of Thrivent Investment Management Inc. They are also licensed insurance agents/ producers of Thrivent. Fee-based investment advisory services are available through qualified investment advisor representatives only. For additional important information, visit Thrivent.com/disclosures. A Thrivent Financial representative may contact you and financial solutions, including insurance may be solicited. Thrivent Financial representatives who hold the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design) and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

2068321-032518

Thrivent Financial Robin Nutting, Certified Kingdom Advisor®, CLTC®, FIC 750-A NW Broad St Southern Pines, NC 28387 910-692-5570 robin.nutting@thrivent.com connect.thrivent.com/robin-nutting/

What will happen if you say no?

If you refuse early retirement, you may continue to thrive with your employer. You could earn promotions and salary raises that boost your pension. You could receive a second early retirement offer that’s better than the first one. But, you may not be so lucky. Consider whether your position could be eliminated down the road.

If the consequences of saying no are hard to predict, use your best judgment and seek professional advice. But don’t take too long. You may have only a short window of time, typically 60 to 90 days, to make your decision.

Serving residents of Scotland, Robeson, Richmond and Hoke counties in North Carolina, as well as Marlboro, Dillon and Chesterfield counties in South Carolina.

www.ScotlandHospice.org

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 19

life

CAROLINA CURIOSITIES

Would Your Star Be Gold or Black?

by Ray Linville

Want to avow abstinence from strong drinks and evil liquids? If you lived 164 years ago, you could be a founding member of the Richmond Temperance and Literary Society, which was formed around 1855 to elevate the moral and cultural life of our area.

Not that big a fan of literature? Not a problem. Although the need to advance literature was also a concern, the bigger worry was the necessity to advocate temperance in the then wild and barren Sandhills.

The cultured and worried citizens at that time were troubled by the “deadly influence” that alcohol consumption was “exerting over the morality of our country and seeing the ravages that it is daily making in our midst.” Within a few years of organizing, the society built a small one-story, one-room building constructed of handmolded local bricks near what is now the town of Wagram.

Here they met and coordinated their “uncompromising hostility to intemperance and untiring zeal for the advancement of literature.”

The society’s twin aims are forever illustrated at the peak of the building’s roof by a wooden finial that represents an inverted wine goblet on top of a Bible. Known as Temperance Hall, it’s still standing in tribute to its sturdy construction by the Scottish descendants who built it in 1860, although it was sacked five years later

by U.S. soldiers advancing toward Fayetteville during Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign of the American Civil War. Both pieces of the finial were reportedly shot down

by Sherman’s troops, and pot marks made by their bullets fired during target practice can still be detected on the hall’s exterior.

20

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

The ceiling inside the hexagonal structure that has sixteen-foot sides was once painted blue with a constellation of gold stars; each star represented a member of the society. However, if the member broke the vow of abstinence, the star was painted black. (Several stars had alternating coats of gold and black.) When a member died, the star was gilded with silver.

The society, which was founded in the Fontcol community of what was then lower Richmond County, continued to meet in the hall until the 1890s. The hall, which also served as a community library, was built on a small hill above the water spring that served as the original water supply, hence the familiar name, “Spring Hill.” The surrounding area had been settled in 1773 by Scottish immigrants.

In 1899, the area around Wagram became part of the new Scotland County, and the building found a new role until the 1920s as a school for white students (as segregation ruled during the Jim Crow era). After many years of neglect and decay, the hall was restored as accurately as possible in 1959 for its role as a museum that it still serves today as a symbol of cultural attitudes of a bygone era.

The beautifully restored home of North Carolina poetlaureate John Charles McNeill, a Scotland County native and grandson of Scottish immigrants, was moved to the site of Temperance Hall in 1960 and serves as the visitor center for both properties.

Temperance Hall is still used for meetings of civic groups, such as the Scotland County Genealogical Society, who recently heard Dr. Mary Wayne Watson speak about the works of McNeill, her great uncle. Watson, who lectures across the state as a “Road Scholar” of the N.C.

Humanities Council, conducts programs on the historical and literary history of the Sandhills and specifically her uncle’s poetry that features landscapes of the Sandhills.

LEE AUDITORIUM, SOUTHERN PINES

McNeill, incidentally, continued the temperance efforts of his ancestors. When he was elected to the N.C. General Assembly, he introduced a bill in 1903 to prohibit the sale of liquor in Scotland County.

Surprisingly, the Richmond Temperance and Literary Society still meets after all these 164 years have passed, although now only annually. Its early topics included such delicate questions as “Who exerts more influence on the human race: man or woman?” The next gathering will be on Saturday, May 18, at 11 a.m. with a lecture by Watson, who is a board member following in the footsteps of her father who in the 1950s was on the board and helped to restore the hall. Her presentation on “Sandhills Women’s Attitudes Towards Secession and the Civil War” will be followed by lunch (no charge).

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, Temperance Hall is believed to be the only building in North Carolina to house a temperance society. It is about 1½ miles west of US 401, which is Main Street in Wagram, off Old Wire Road near Spring Hill Cemetery. The grounds are always open, but tours are available only by appointment (910-277-3149).

Light Classics • TUES, MAY 29 | 8PM

Wesley Schulz, conductor

The warmth and rejuvenation of spring come alive in selections from Beethoven’s “Pastoral” Symphony and Sketches from Pinehurst,

by North Carolina native and NCS veteran Terry Mizesko—plus music celebrating nature by Copland, Mendelssohn, and more!

Tickets start at just $18!*

Tickets also available at:

Campbell House | 482 E. Connecticut Avenue The Country Bookshop | 140 NW Broad Street Tufts Archives | 150 Cherokee Road

ncsymphony.org 877.627.6724 *Price does not include tax.

Temperance Hall has survived decades as the area around it has changed, and its history is quite phenomenal. However, the historical record is incomplete about the soldiers’ motivation to sack it. Was it a desire to destroy a prominent site of local residents, or their opposition to a temperance organization that loved to read?

Editor’s Note: OutreachNC Magazine continues a new bimonthly feature to explore places in our area that would pique our curiosity if we knew more about them.

Ray Linville writes about local connections to Southern food, history and culture. He can be reached at linville910@gmail.com .

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 21

health

E Y E H E A LT H

Healthy Vision Month:

Make Your Eye Health a Priority!

by Anna F. Fakadej, M.D., MBA, Cataract & General Ophthalmic Surgeon, Carolina Eye Associates Women are more likely to have eye-related diseases and conditions, including cataracts, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration. Nearly two-thirds of blindness and visual impairment occurs in women, and women make up the majority of the 4.4 million Americans age 40 and older who are blind or visually impaired. In addition, dry eye occurs at double the rate in postmenopausal women.

You may be busy, on the go and caring for your family, but it is important that you make the time to take care of you!

During Healthy Vision Month, we remind you to make your eye health a priority and encourage you to take the following steps to help protect your sight.

Get a dilated eye exam. Getting a comprehensive dilated eye exam is the best way to know if your eyes are healthy and you are seeing your best. Talk to your eye care professional about how often you should have one.

Wash your eyelids. Wash eyelids using a commercial lid cleanser that is safe for the eye (can be found with the eye drops). Ladies, please be sure to remove eye makeup before bed.

Eat healthy foods and exercise regularly. A diet low in fat and rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, benefits the entire body, including the eyes. Eye-healthy food choices include citrus fruits, vegetable oils, nuts, whole grains, dark green leafy vegetables and cold-water fish. Vitamins may be helpful to slow down certain eye diseases like dry eye and age-related macular degeneration.

Stop smoking. Smoking increases the risk for eye diseases such as cataract and age-related macular degeneration.

Smoking also raises the risk for cardiovascular diseases, which can indirectly influence your eye health. Tobacco smoke, including second-hand smoke, also worsens dry eye.

Know your family history. Talk to your family members— including parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles—about 22

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

their eye health history. It is important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with an eye disease, since many diseases are hereditary. This will help to determine if you are at higher risk for developing an eye disease yourself.

Use protective eyewear. Protect your eyes when doing chores around the house, playing sports or on the job to prevent eye injuries from happening. This includes wearing safety glasses, goggles, safety shields and eye guards that are made of polycarbonate. Eyewear should sit comfortably on the face, so talk to your eye care provider about the appropriate type of protective eyewear for your sport or job.

Make a habit of wearing the appropriate type at all times and encourage your teammates and coworkers to do the same.

Wear sunglasses. Exposure to ultraviolet UV light increases the risk of eye diseases, including cataracts, fleshy growths on the eye and cancer. Always wear sunglasses with 100 percent UV protection and a hat while enjoying time outdoors.

Keep diabetes, high blood pressure and other health issues under control, as they may affect your vision.

Eye exams aren’t only about checking a person’s visual acuity or sharpness; they are important in determining the overall health of their eyes. We encourage everyone to get regular eye care. By making vision a priority today, we can help protect our sight as we age.

Anna Fakadej, M.D. is a specialist in refractive cataract surgery including correction of astigmatism and presbyopia with various surgical and implant technologies. She also specializes in facial rejuvenation and general ophthalmic surgery. She is considered an expert in femtosecond laser and wavefront aberrometry.

For more information on the services offered at Carolina Eye, call (800) 733-5357 or visit www.carolinaeye. com

Lorenz

&

Creed Law Firm,

PLLC

Our Practice is Your Solution!

• Real Estate Closings • Divorce/Family Law • Probate/Estate

• Personal Injury

• Wills, Trusts

• Wrongful Death

• Elder Law

• Social Security Disability

• Business Law

• Collaborative Law

910-695-8688

www.LorenzCreedLaw.com 230 N. Bennett Street, Suite 2, Southern Pines, NC OutreachNC.com 28387 23 MAY 2019 |

DE

CINCO MAYO WHAT HAPPENED? The Mexican State of

Puebla’s

underdog victory... ...against French forces.

On May 5, 1862, Mexico defeated Napoleon III’s French forces, who were there to collect on unpaid war debts, in a historic battle at Pueblo. It was thought the French would win the battle and the stunning victory galvanized the Mexican forces. While Mexico won at Pueblo, the victory was short-lived and France won the Franco-Mexican War. France occupied Mexico for 5 years until Austrian Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian was overthrown as emperor.

DO THEY CELEBRATE IN MEXICO?

NOT REALLY.

Within Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is called “Dl Dia de la Batalla de Pueblo”, which means the “Day of the Battle of Puebla”. The holiday is primarily celebrated in the state of Pueblo where the historic battle took place. It’s celebrated with festivals, traditional military parades and reenactments of the historic battle.

IT IS NOT

MEXICOʼS INDEPENDENCE DAY

WHICH IS

SEPTEMBER 16

In America, the holiday has become associated with the celebration of Mexican-American culture, food and traditions.

America first started to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the early 1960’s when Mexican civil rights activists began to use the day to celebrate their cultural pride.

“¡Salud!”

In the late 1980’s, beer importers used the holiday as a marketing tool that spawned a new “American” holiday focused on the consumption of Mexican beer & cocktails.

American consumers spend more money on beer for Cinco de Mayo than any other holiday, including the Super Bowl and Saint Patrick’s Day. In 2015, Americans spent $735 million on beer and malt beverages for the holiday.

Beer companies are not the only ones to profit from this new “American holiday”. In 2014, Americans consumed 127 million liters of tequila and mezcal on May 5; they also spend an average of $29 million on margaritas.

HOLY

mole!

estimated that Americans Thatʼs It’sconsume around 87.3 million pounds of guacamole on Cinco de Mayo.

A LOT That translates to roughly $198.2 of GUAC! million worth of avocados.

LOS ANGELES! AT THE 24

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

WHEREʼS THE LARGEST CELEBRATION?

FESTIVAL DE FIESTA BROADWAY 300,000+ PEOPLE 24 BLOCKS OF FOOD AND FUN

E AT R I G H T

Cooking for One

advice

by Joy Bradford, RD, LDN Every new stage of our lives comes with changes, and at every stage we must adapt in order to be our healthiest selves. Eating habits are not immune from needing adjustments. In fact, these habits are often some of the first behaviors we need to address, as proper nutrition is an essential “ingredient� for our overall physical and emotional wellness. Most often, I find myself assisting my patients with either having to prepare food for themselves for the first time or needing to cook just for one person when for many years they have cooked for others. The first thing to remember is that you are worth it! You alone are absolutely worth the effort of cooking a meal.

Here are some tips to help you in your journey to do just that.

Planning your meals - Look through recipes and decide when you would like to have each dish. Write the ingredients down to be added to a shopping list and do your grocery shopping at least once per week to keep from getting overwhelmed. As you try different recipes, keep track of the recipes you would like to have again to help with planning in future weeks. You can keep your favorite recipes in a folder or recipe box or even in a smartphone app. As you are searching recipes, if you find one you like but it yields enough to serve four people, you can either freeze leftovers to use another time or cut all of the ingredient amounts in half to make only 2 servings. You can also invite people to eat with you or share leftovers with neighbors or friends.

Shopping - Be sure to buy only the fresh produce that you need for your recipes to avoid having ingredients go bad before you are able to use them. Use the bulk bins in the grocery store instead of prepackaged produce to avoid overbuying. Planting a garden with your own fresh vegetables and herbs can also reduce costs and add flavor and quality to your dishes. You can also buy individually packaged proteins like fish and chicken or buy large packages of fresh proteins and freeze individually to pull out and use one at a time as needed. You can use your leftovers as ingredients in other dishes. If you had baked chicken left over from tonight, you could make soup, a sandwich or wrap, or add it to a green salad for lunch the next day.

Saving time - Use a toaster oven or microwave to reduce time spent cooking. Buying a good sharp knife can make chopping easier and faster. And washing, drying, and cutting up produce before you start the recipe can save both time and frustration while putting the meal together. Lastly, remember that any time you spend cooking is time you are investing in your well-being, and if anything I have said bears repeating it is that you are 100% worth that effort.

Bon appetit!

Joy Bradford, RD, LDN, is a Health Coach at Pinehurst Medical Clinic in Pinehurst.

She can be reached at 910-235-3347 or jbradford@pinehurstmedical.com .

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 25

ATE

HERBS Stewey’s

By Rachel Stewart Short on green space or not fond of getting outdoors in the elements?

Let your garden grow in a small planter on a kitchen counter or a larger potted plant on a sun porch or front foyer. Fresh herbs are a great way to bring both fresh spice and extra color to home cooked meals - all while cutting down on your grocery trips and costs. Growing herbs indoors also allows for more control unpredictable weather and seasons need not apply. Here are six herbs to pick up at your local hardware or gardening supply store for easy planting, growing, and (minimal) pruning.

1. Mint. What’s more refreshing than a just-brewed cup of iced tea with a bit of mint in it? This hearty green herb grows well in indirect sunlight and needs constant watering to thrive. Ensure the soil is moist for best growing results. This plant only needs an occasional dose of fertilizer, as too much can diminish its sweet and peppy flavor. Once grown, snip leaves off for a garnish or to make an herbal tea for tummy troubles.

2. Parsley. Great as a garnish or as a full-on salad, parsley loves soaking up sunlight, so consider popping this herb in a windowsill or by a sunny backdoor for best results. Add in fertilizer every two weeks. Parsley isn’t afraid of a crowd, either, so if you need to grow multiple herbs in one pot, it’s perfectly at home amongst its fellow greens. Mint and Lemon balm would be good roommates alongside parsley.

Chives

3. Chives. This slender incarnation of onion thrives in winter sunlight but is happy to grow all year round. Keep it in the sun for up to six hours a day and only clip what you need. (Don’t worry, it will quickly grow back.) Sprinkle cut chives on top of a baked potato or stir into fried rice instead of the traditional green onion.

4. Rosemary. Often used in Mediterranean dishes, this needle-like herb prefers sun and mostly dry soil. Ideally, you should water rosemary once every two weeks and mist it with water a couple times of week to keep it vibrant. A fuss-proof herb, a little goes a long way in pork or lamb dishes, pizza sauce, or infused olive oils.

5. Sage. Sage has a strong aroma and earthy flavor, which is why it’s typically used in small amounts. It belongs to the mint family, alongside other herbs like oregano, rosemary, basil and thyme. You will need to keep the plants in a warm area, away from drafts. Provide humidity with a nearby pebble tray or humidifier.

Including other herbs in containers nearby will also help. Water as needed, letting the top inch of soil dry out between waterings.

6. Thyme. Slightly bitter and pine-like in taste, thyme needs care similar to rosemary. This herb loves sun but doesn’t need to be overwatered, since it also tends to grow wild in drier climates. Be sure to fertilize regularly and this sturdy herb will be ready to be used in fish or chicken dishes, as well as salad dressings or 26 OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019 savory breads.

Help us to be ever faithful gardeners of the spirit, who know that without darkness nothing comes to birth, and without light nothing flowers.

MAY SARTON

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 27

OutreachNC’s 2019

Book Club

This month we’re reading Nora Ephron’s I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections. A slim volume full of Ephron’s observations of, well, life as she ages through the ages, I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections made us chuckle, nod in agreement and shake our heads at the indignity that sometimes accompanies us on our journey through this thing called life.

10 Thoughts on

I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections 1. Ephron’s collection is light, easy to read and the perfect book to accompany a cup of coffee on the back porch during a spring morning.

2. Jeeves is grateful, upon learning what an ‘Aruba’ is, that he doesn’t have to deal with such issues of hair and aging. His fur is still without cowlick.

3. The last chapter of I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections is a list of what Ephron will miss one day, and it made us all think about what we might miss.

Coffee. Wine. Baths. The sound of babies gurgling awake. Walking the dog. Sunsets. Hemingway.

4. Speaking of Hemingway, Ephron recounts a story about Lillian Ross, who apparently wrote a ‘devastating profile’ of Hemingway in The New Yorker. Jeeves insisted we look it up, as he can’t imagine anything about Hemingway being devastating. The article was published in the May 13, 1950 issue and is titled ‘The Moods of Ernest Hemingway.’ It’s a doozy.

5. One of our favorite quotes from the book is on page 38 when Ephron writes about having alcoholic parents. “Alcoholic parents are so confusing. They’re your parents, so you love them; but they’re drunks, so you hate them.” This is the sort of blunt, true writing that makes Ephron classic.

6. Ephron’s story about almost giving up on When Harry Met Sally is charming.

Good thing that didn’t work out.

7. Jeeves very much would like us to try Ruthie’s Bread and Butter Pudding this fall, which can be found on page 117. Heavy cream was the selling point.

8. Ephron’s chapter on divorce is very honest. She writes, “...when you’ve had children with someone you’re divorced from, divorce defines everything; it’s the lurking fact, a slice of anger in the pie of your brain” (p. 119).

9. Jeeves gives this book 4 out of 5 stars because it wasn’t fancy or uppity but just true, often witty writing that gave him a little break from much of his ongoing mental gymnastics.

10. We all pretty much agree with Ephron when it comes to egg-white omelets. Whew. That was a rough decade.

28

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

That’s it for us this month. Next month, we’re looking forward to Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Staff members are already raving. We love sharing books with everyone and anyone who’s got a review, comment, thought, critique or favorite quote to send along.

Feel free to write to us at editor@ outreachnc.com and let us know your thoughts on Nora Ephron’s novel.

NEXT MONTH!

Open Arms

Retirement Center “Making a Difference in the Lives of Others”

Assisted Living | Memory Care Music & Memory Certified

Let us help you in making a decision about the care you are seeking.

612 Health Drive | Raeford | 910-875-3949 MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 29

SAILING THE HIGH C’s OF MUSIC AND MERRIMENT with

star, Liz McCartney

by Eddie Carmichael Broadway stars Liz McCartney and Bob Stillman visit the Sandhills May 9-12 to appear in Judson Theatre Company’s production of Stephen Temperley’s comedy with music Souvenir. The show chronicles the musical career of wealthy NYC socialite Florence Foster Jenkins, often dubbed “the world’s worst singer,” who, together with her musical director, Cosme McMoon, gave a series of unintentionally hilariously off-key recitals that became the talk of New York and culminated in a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall.

Jenkins’ life has been chronicled on film in the Meryl Streep/ Hugh Grant starrer Florence Foster Jenkins; in books like 30 OutreachNC.com | MAY Florence!

Foster!! Jenkins!!! by 2019 Daryl Bullock and Florence Foster Jenkins: The Inspiring True Story of the World’s

Worst Singer by Nicholas Martin and Jasper Rees; and in the 2005 play Glorious! by Peter Quilter. But Souvenir came first, opening off-Broadway in 2004. McCartney’s co-star, twotime Tony Award nominee Bob Stillman, was a member of Souvenir’s original Broadway cast in 2005.

The show is a reunion for Stillman and McCartney, who have performed the show together previously at other theatres; McCartney is well-known for her Broadway performances as Carlotta in Phantom, Rosie in Mamma Mia, and most recently the hit revivals of My Fair Lady with Lauren Ambrose and Sunday in the Park with George with Jake Gyllenhaal. OutreachNC chatted with McCartney prior to her trek to Pinehurst.

ONC: Have you been to North Carolina before?

LM: I was on the national of Wicked, Cinderella, and Phantom so I’m sure I’ve been there at least three times. I’ve been on so many tours I couldn’t tell you where I was!

ONC: In Souvenir we hear Mrs. Jenkins merrily murder Verdi, Mozart, Gounod, and Brahms. How does a wonderful singer like you prepare to sing as badly as she did?

LM: In taking on Souvenir --it was my own ego that had to do this--I had to learn all the numbers correctly…the right way. I wanted to make sure I could sing them and present them the way they should be presented. Then I learned “alternate melodies.” Florence is pretty specific in her wrongness. She doesn’t just babble out wrong notes. I learned the alternates and sang them as if they were correct.

Celebrate Life

I patterned my portrayal [after the real Florence, but also] after people in my life, after relatives that I will not name, in case someone reads this article from my family. My sister actually picked her out from the second I went onstage.

Quail Haven Village

ONC: Have you ever had an experience onstage where you felt like the audience was laughing at you instead of with you?

LM: We all have mistakes and we all have costume snafus. I can also remember in [the Broadway revival of] South Pacific I tripped so spectacularly in the middle of the stage – I think I stood up and the audience was sort of confused: “was that supposed to happen?” There were a few people who were giggling, “OMG that was so embarrassing.” People were not laughing with me, but at me.

You never want to have people laughing at you, you want them to be part of your joke. When I’m playing Florence, I can’t [be in on the joke] – she’s so self-assured she can talk herself out of anyone saying she’s a bad singer. She was much more intelligent than I am. She can talk herself out of this situation. By her account, people are laughing with her or their feelings are so overwhelming they have to leave the room because her voice is so pure. It isn’t till she hears laughter during a very serious song that she thinks, “Maybe I’ve been wrong this whole time,” and Cosme is there to pick up where she left off. He can’t let her feel sorry for herself.

Our spacious, garden-style, ground level apartments allow you to enjoy the independence of your home with the convenience of nearby services, activities, our Clubhouse and access to a full continuum of care.

ONC: What do you love about doing Souvenir with Bob Stillman playing Cosme?

LM: I’ve done Souvenir with two Cosmes – both of my Cosmes are wonderful!

Even though I’m the same person, it’s a completely different show with another actor [playing Cosme] because of the relationships on stage. Bob Stillman gets the subtleties and the quietness of Cosme McMoon and then when my character says something so outrageous, he can heighten the language and the comedy tenfold. I think I’m pretty funny in the role, but when Bob is Bob Stillman & Liz McCartney in Souvenir at the Good Theatre, directed by Brian P. Allen.”

Call Lynn to schedule a visit!

910.295.2294

QuailHavenVillage.com Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

155 Blake Blvd. | PINEHURST A PART OF THE LIBERTY FAMILY OF SERVICES

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 31

SEE YOUR WAY CLEAR

Eyesight is a precious way

of experiencing the joys of family, friends and life.

Cataracts can cause you to lose sight of those joys.

If you have a cataract, our expert doctors can help restore clear, crisp vision and even decrease your need for distance and reading glasses. Call today for more information.

After all, for more than 40 years, your vision has been our focus.

(910) 255-2095 (800) 733-5357 www.carolinaeye.com Albemarle, Asheboro, Cheraw, Dunn, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Laurinburg, Lumberton, Rockingham, Sanford, Southern Pines/Pinehurst, Wadesboro 32

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

onstage with me it makes it over-the-top funny. He has a beautiful voice and he’s an amazing pianist. His Cosme is so gentle with Florence, and so funny with her, and so mean to her at one time, that you see what their relationship is. Sometimes they’re friends, sometimes it’s like they’re mother and son, he’s her caretaker sometimes, he’s amazing. His reactions to her are so brilliant.

That’s worth the price of admission right there. Years ago, Bob and I used to say to each other, “We should just get a van and book a tour of this, and I’ll get my own costumes” – we were kidding about it. Now, years later, I have my own costumes and all we need is a piano, a stage, and someone to light us!

ONC: What did you think of the 2016 film version of Florence’s life story?

LM: I loved the Meryl Streep film. I feel like she wanted to do Souvenir but she also wanted to tell the rest of the story as well. There are some parts in the film that seem like they’re directly lifted from Souvenir and the parts of her life this play doesn’t cover. My favorite thing [in the film] was something that isn’t in Souvenir, a well-known quote from Florence, “People may say I couldn’t sing, but no one can ever say I didn’t sing.”

ONC: Liz, you’re known for your amazing voice and being able to sing all kinds of challenging Broadway scores – when did you know you had a voice that set you apart?

LM: I’m the youngest of four, and I always thought I did everything better. I’d watch them and say, “I see the mistakes you’re making and when I do it, it’s going to be right.” We all sang, my parents sang. We were really the only family out of my cousins and aunts who could sing, and we were sort of “the show” at each family party. My first professional job was summer stock at Russell Square Summer Theatre in Maine, after my freshman year of college. When Bob and I did Souvenir in Maine, the two leads from that first year at summer stock came to see me. It was quite a circular moment in my life.

ONC: You do on camera work—you were on Blacklist recently.

LM: And Bull. I only do shows that start with ‘B.’ Shooting The Blacklist was like the movie of Les Miz – the camera was so close – any movement I made with my face was detected. So many things that you could tell on camera would go unnoticed on stage…I noticed my lip liner was darker than my lipstick.

ONC: Why do audiences love Souvenir?

LM: I think everybody knows someone like Florence Foster Jenkins. People love to watch the people who are terrible on American Idol. That’s my favorite part – the awful people who go in there and think they can sing. [In a way] Florence Foster Jenkins was the first American Idol. She put herself out there, and everyone wanted to see her because she was so terrible. She was a phenomenon.

Catch McCartney and Stillman as Jenkins and McMoon in Judson Theatre Company’s production of Souvenir at the Hannah Center Theatre at The O’Neal School Thursday, May 9-Sunday, May 12. Tickets are available online at JudsonTheatre.com. Limited quantities of tickets are available to buy in person at local outlets. Discounts are available for groups, students, and military (see website for details).

The care you

need from the caregivers you choose.

We understand the value of having caregivers you can count on.

Let us provide referrals to carefully screened private-duty caregivers who work according to your needs and schedule.

- Lindsey Simmons Registry Administrator

Caregiver Registry in North Carolina CALL US TODAY!

910-692-0683

www.AOSNC.com MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 33

34

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

BY: CRISSY NEVILLE

Gardening adds years to your life and life to your years - an old proverb from an unknown author that speaks of a life well-lived in the out-of-doors.

To garden is to gain beauty, perspective, and the fruits of both labor and love. But what kind of garden? There are as many types of gardens as there are plants to put in them, but a creative soul will think outside the plot. One way home gardeners are branching out is with the idea of themed gardens. If you want a garden bursting with personality and unique style, think of a theme and use it as an anchor for your garden design. A theme can be a gardener’s signature of sorts, said Cumberland County Horticulture Extension Agent Jason Weathington.

“The great thing about a theme is you feel like you have something you can put your stamp on, and say this is what I was trying to accomplish with this garden,” Weathington explained. “Themed gardening is purposeful and not random. There are all kinds of themes and it is fun to see what people come up with.”

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 35

FO O

DS

CA PIN

G

TA

CO CK

After passing this progressive plate, it is now time to whet our whistles with cocktail gardening, another theme in the vine of functionality. Freshlygrown ingredients can raise the bar in the garden while saving you trips to the grocery store when making garden-to-glass cocktails or mocktails.

For starters, some herbs, fruits, and vegetables to use in drink recipes or as garnishes or flavorings are: lavender, rosemary, mint, basil, thyme, lemongrass, Lemon verbena, cilantro, Gherkin cucumbers, celery, hot peppers, strawberries, peaches, blueberries, watermelon, and the star of the Bloody Mary, tomatoes. There are many others as well. Find a good recipe or create your own, and don’t forget you can make wonderful botanicalflavored teas and smoothies too. To get chamomile tea or kale smoothies from the garden instead of the grocer: what a concept!

A

RD

IN EN

IL

G

G

One new take on the traditional vegetable garden is foodscaping, a theme which integrates edibles and ornamentals, resulting in landscapes that are both attractive and productive. The guru of this plan is Raleigh local Brie Arthur, a horticulturist turned author, speaker, and promoter of the foodscaping movement. In this theme, food-producing plants such as grains are grown in lieu of ornamental grasses; garlic and onions are bed partners with perennial and annual flowers, and squash, pumpkins, and cucumbers are used for groundcover plants in the in-between spaces to reduce weed pressure.

Here, unused areas such as borders become new sources for garden growth, and traditional beds take on multi-purpose roles. The result is a messy yet artistic profile instead of standard rows and may be a good choice for space-conscious urban gardeners, or anyone who dares to be different.

RD

EN

If the latter theme sounds herb-heavy, that is true, but an herb garden can be its own theme or one that plays nicely with others.

A garden that features herbs can be formal or informal and as simple or as complicated as you choose to make it.

G

A 36

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

H

B ER

HERBS OFFER SOFT, SUBTLE COLORS, TANTALIZING TEXTURES, AND AN ARRAY OF AROMAS. The best way to incorporate herbs is to pick the ones you would like to use, whether it is for beverages, cooking, crafts, medicinal purposes, or for making potpourri. Try narrowing the focus to something like a spicy Italian herb garden with the wonderful flavors of Italian parsley, sage, and winter savory, or a monochromatic theme with Artemisia, lavender, lavender cotton, and sweet marjoram, which all have silver and gray leaves. Talk about a sensory smorgasbord!

SH

Moving from the taste buds to the temperature brings us to the shade garden. SHADE IS A TREASURE IN OUR YARDS AND IS PRIZED BY SOUTHERN GARDENERS AS NATURE’S AIRCONDITIONING. Look for deep-rooted deciduous trees under which to make a pleasant respite spot. Their bare branches in spring let in plenty of sunlight for flowering shrubs such as azaleas, oakleaf hydrangea, and camellias that can be planted in the back of the bed.

Wild cranesbill, English primrose, wild blue phlox, wild columbine along with daffodil or tulip bulbs can bring spring blooms. Try shade-loving perennials such as hostas, Bethlehem sage, coral bells, Fringed bleeding heart, astilbes, fern, Solomon’s seals, and alumroots too, and don’t leave out the coolcolored leaves of elephant ear, caladium and coleus for a summer through fall show.

Use native stone to define the bed, a bench or two to beckon visitors, and garden statuary or whimsical gnomes for fun.

E

CU

AD

SUC

G

AR

LE

DE

N

N

TG AR

N

FA I

Also popular among today’s garden themes are fairy gardens. Miniature gardens filled with fairies, gnomes, and fairy houses offer the young, and young at heart, an enchanted play space to enhance imagination and creativity. These small scapes make a lovely addition to any porch, deck, backyard, or garden, and can be as simple or elaborate as you like. Even better, fairy “worlds” can continue to grow as you find new treasures to add, or as you find new gardening pals to share them with, like grandchildren, for example. There are many fairy garden supply options from which you can choose. Start with just a few plants, accessories, and figurines. Continue to add miniatures and accessories that you would like to include over time. The container can vary from a whiskey barrel to a birdbath, and the planting material is always small plants like small bonsai trees, Mint, Scotch Moss, Mini Blue Isotoma, and succulents. Add stones, pebbles, glass gems, sand, and of course, all the fun miniatures and figurines your space will hold. Creativity is the key!

A

E RD

RY

G

DEN

A fun and trendy garden theme with a southwestern flare is that of a succulent garden. You can make interesting compositions with succulents.

Succulents cover the entire surface of the soil outdoors or in containers with their dense foliage. Their leaves vary in color, shape, and pattern, so beautiful combinations are possible. Combine succulents with pebbles for creating unique effects, and place them in all kinds of places such as in a terrarium, fish bowl, glass vase, hanging basket, an old shoe, bird cage, wreaths, upright on a stone wall, or outdoors in a rock garden. Some succulents to try are ice plant, sedum, Echeveria (hens and chicks) and jade plant. Weathington said these are popular due to beauty but also their care. “Succulents are in the zeroscaping category, which means they are low water, full sun, and good drainage plants,” he explained. “They are low maintenance plants that also give you unique textures, shapes and colors.”

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 37

Other themes include a Bible Garden, composed of only plants from scripture, or a medicinal garden with healing plants. There are cottage gardens, children’s gardens, storybook gardens, rock gardens, heirloom gardens, rose gardens, Bird Lover’s gardens, bog gardens Japanese gardens, and on and on. Whatever your choice, Weathington emphasized getting your space ready before you plant, with all conditions and elements considered, and starting small at first.

R

E OS

G ARDEN

J

A AP

“A lot of the themes can be built into many different places, but be sure to build the structure first, whether it is outside in a bed or in a container on your patio. See what the site is telling you. Do a site evaluation, and let that dictate what you can put there.”

So plan, dream, consider and scout. But after that, it’s theme on.

NESE G A RDEN

ROCK G AR DE N

COMING THIS SUMMER...

JULY

ADVENTURE & OUTDOORS

AUGUST TRAVEL

NATURE DEFICIT DISORDER TRAIN TRAVEL HOBBY FARMS LIVING ABOARD CRUISE SHIPS SUMMER COCKTAILS FAMOUS TRAILS BUCKET LIST

38

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

2019

2019-2020

Sept. 23.

Ryley Osentoski, at 919-708-1639

frontoffice@wellenerdental.com

The Right Care, Right at HomeÂŽ

We Provide Services

Light Housekeeping Bathing Assistance Daily Health Reminders Transportation/Errands Post Surgery/Rehab Care Ambulation Assistance Meal Preparation Laundry

We Provide Peace of Mind

Bonded & Insured Caregivers Available 24 Hours-a-Day Hospital Discharge Assistance/Transportation Customized Schedules

License #HC3596

910.684.6400 Southern Pines, NC 28387 Serving the Residents of Moore and Lee Counties

Call Katie @ 910.309.5772

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 39

40

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

LAND STEWARDSHIP: EVERY GARDENER’S ROLE IN THE POWER OF POLLINATORS

by Madison H.V. Hall One of the great joys of gardening and landscaping is delighting in the butterflies and bees visiting your plantings, knowing you’ve purposely created a haven for pollinators, which desperately need our help for survival. By planting pollinator-attracting perennials and annuals, gardeners become a part of the solution for ensuring sustainable food sources for hard-pressed bees and butterflies.

By adopting an organic approach to lawn and garden care, even the smallest patio or yard can become an important micro habitat for sustaining pollinators in the surrounding landscape. If enough habitats are linked together in an overlapping fashion, pollinators will forage successfully within the entire sustainable landscape. Your lawn may be a small part of this habitat, or the only part in your neighborhood. It’s up to each of us to take a leadership role in creating sustainable and organic habitat for pollinators.

POLLINATING BASICS Bees are a Keystone species, upon whose important ecosystem work other species depend. Their removal would create drastic ecosystem imbalance and change. Currently, there are nearly 4,000 bee species in North America, with bumblebees accounting for only 49. Bees and other pollinators are responsible for the work of pollinating much of our global food supply. Without pollinators and the free ecosystem services they provide (a natural capital service valued in the billions of dollars), many of the foods humans rely on would never be pollinated, resulting in crop failures and complex ecosystems collapsing, while creating food scarcity and significantly higher food prices.

Butterflies and bees require blossoms as a source of pollen and nectar, in addition to a water source.

The water source may be a bird bath, or a simple bowl filled with water daily and a few small stones to perch on while drinking. Butterflies prefer

a damp patch of soil from a dripping hose or irrigation drip which has some sea salt added for nutrients. The blooms, which provide their food source, must be available from the beginning of their annual season to the end when they enter hibernation in their hives (when pollinators leave your region in a migration) or build their cocoons.

Butterflies, like the magnificent orange and black Monarch, are famous migrators but require specific foods along the way, such as milkweed as they go through four generations from February to September.

With 175 species of butterflies, North Carolina is an ideal area to establish butterfly and pollinator gardens. Keep in mind that the butterfly life cycle requires host plants for larvae in addition to nectar plantings.

CHOOSING INDIGENOUS PLANTS NATIVE TO YOUR AREA WILL GO FAR IN CREATING A ROBUST HABITAT FOR POLLINATORS AS WELL AS REQUIRING LESS CARE. Additionally, plants must provide food for pollinators from early spring to late fall, so a variety of differently timed blooms rich in nectar is important. Some flowers are very hardy, continually growing fresh blooms most of the summer, such as marigolds, cone flowers, geraniums and petunias for example.

Sunny locations for plants also draw more butterflies, something to consider when planning your butterfly garden. Some butterfly species depend on unique habitats, while others are more broadly dispersed. In North Carolina, butterflies commonly seen include delightful Swallowtails, colorful Sulphurs, Brushfoots and Skippers, all of which may be attracted to your butterfly and pollinator garden.

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 41

POLLINATOR CHALLENGES With the expansion of urban areas associated with metropolitan growth, habitat which supports pollinators is shrinking along lines of migration, increasing the difficulty for Monarchs (Danaus plexippus) and other butterflies to complete their life cycle migratory patterns. In the last 20 years, monarch populations are estimated to have decreased by an astounding 90%.

We make the active ingredient Tadalafil in troches for a fraction of the cost!

Requires a prescription from a prescriber.

Mon-Fri: 8:30a-6p Sat: 8:30a-12p 120 MacDougall Dr Seven Lakes (910) 673-7467 w w w. 7 L a k e s R X . c o m

Buying or Selling, Move Smarter with Rosemary!

Rosemary Weber (c) 973-214-4675 (o) 910-246-4653

Rosemary@ToweringPinesRealEstate.com

229 West Pennsylvania Ave Southern Pines, NC 28387

42

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

IN THE BIG PICTURE, POLLINATORS ARE CRITICAL TO THE UNDERLYING ECOLOGICAL BALANCE OF THE BIOSPHERE, FULFILLING THEIR HABITAT NICHE IN REGIONS AROUND THE WORLD WHERE EACH SPECIES IS FOUND, AND UPON WHICH OTHER FLORA AND FAUNA DEPEND WITHIN EACH ECOLOGICAL ZONE. Many pollinators are currently under severe pressure from the use of pesticides which contain neonicotinoid, attacking the insect central nervous system, harming bee foraging, memory, navigation and reproductive capacities, and must be avoided. Big box garden centers selling flowers and plants must be checked for a tag which identifies if neonicotinoids have been applied. If your goal is a healthy pollinator garden, only buy plants and flowers which have not been exposed to neonicotinoids, and preferably are completely organic. The discovery of organic-based garden centers in your area will delight you and are not difficult to locate.

The European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) in North America and Europe, faces daunting pressure from Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), where honeybees leave to find pollen and never return to the hive, which may contain up to 50,000 individuals prior to CCD. The causes of CCD are not fully understood, but appear to be a combination of pesticide use, pathogens and honeybee parasites. Since 2006, beekeepers have reported losses of up to 50% of all their honeybees impacted by CCD. In response, Europe has banned many of the pesticides linked to CCD to protect their honey bee populations.

Similarly, bumblebees are also in need of protection from loss of habitat, pesticides and disease. Living in underground colonies of 50-500 bees, bumblebees live primarily in a neglected corner of your garden, flourishing when their habitat provides them with blossoms and readily available water. Once a common sight in 28 states, the Rusty Patched Bumblebee (Bombus affinis) has recently been declared an Endangered Species after its population declined 90%. Be sure to create some habitat for bumblebees whenever possible.

GETTING STARTED Bees begin to forage as soon as the first flowers of Spring in your region become available. These early blooms are generally found in healthy grasses which have only organic additives. You must avoid the elimination of weeds found in common garden store fertilizers, such as a “weed and feed.�

THE GOAL IS TO CREATE AN ORGANIC FOUNDATION, WHICH WILL SUPPORT THE REQUIRED OVERLAPPING HABITATS FOR SEVERAL TYPES OF POLLINATORS. In the early Spring, when your lawn is just greening up, if you have avoided the use of weed pesticides, you should be able to see many small flowers, which will naturally seed themselves and provide a bounty for pollinators. Even the cheerfully yellow dandelion plays an important role in providing pollinator sustenance and should be allowed to bloom in your yard.

Adding white clover seed to your yard brings a bounty of small clover blooms for pollinators and fixes nitrogen in your soil, an important plant nutrient. Clover seed is readily available on www.Amazon.com. To plant, simply spread it by hand wherever you want to encourage pollinator food source and habitat development. You might even find a lucky four-leaf clover!

Remember, the foundation of all successful gardening is healthy soil. Your local garden center and university agricultural extension offices and websites offer a wealth of information on plant choice, soil amendments and organic fertilizer suggestions.

Your Full-Service Residential Heating & Air Conditioning Specialists

Air Conditioners Furnaces Air Handler Heat Pumps Boiler IAQ & Ductwork IAQ & Ductwork Thermostats

Serving the Sandhills since 1953

910.778.5534

www.SimmonsOneHour.com

Downsizing Relocation Estate Liquidation FREE In-Home Assessment

www.Carolina-RTS.com

336-210-0140 MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 43

Want more info on pollinator friendly plants? Online, www. pollinator.org is a helpful and comprehensive resource for all things related to pollinators.

For North Carolina, the online “Southeast Mixed Forest”.pdf guide recommends perennials such as cone flowers, butterfly bushes, roses, violets, petunias, trillium, goldenrod, honeysuckle, milkweed, eastern bluestar, sunflower, phlox, clover, iris, lavender and salvia, just to name a few.

Other regional guides are also available.

44

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

Your lawn is a critical food habitat for pollinators. Try mowing around certain sections of your lawn where a profusion of small flowers may be naturally occurring. By allowing blooms to come to fruition and naturally reseed over two to three weeks, you feed pollinators and ensure repeated blooms in this healthy pollinator food zone, while the visual focus is sharpened on the profusion of small flowers, adding texture, color and vitality to your lawn.

Assisting pollinators by creating a slightly wild property border creates beneficial pollinator habitat for bumblebees and butterflies laying eggs. Fallen leaves in these wild border areas should not be removed.

In the Fall, it’s important to return the nutrients from the fallen leaves back into the soil. During the growing season, deciduous trees take up nutrients in the soil from the root zone, into the leaves. When Fall arrives, about half the nutrients stored in the leaves are transported by the trees back down into the root zone.

If you remove your leaves each Fall, without mulching them to return the nutrients, you are robbing your soil year after year of half its critical nutrients. Retain these nutrients by mulching and mowing leaves down to the size of a dime, which quickly integrates into the grass and soil. Healthy organic soil creates the foundation for strong and resilient plants and lawns. This in turn creates conditions which allow pollinators to sustain themselves and carry on their very important work.

STEWARDS OF THE LAND Much of a gardener’s heartfelt pride comes from being a good steward of the land. That land may be a balcony, a city rooftop, or your lawn and gardens. Micro habitat by micro habitat, your work to create sustainable gardens which attract pollinators is important.

THE HEALTHY BEES AND VIBRANT BUTTERFLIES WHICH FILL YOUR GARDENS ARE YOUR REWARD, ALONG WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT ONE GARDENER CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS AN ADVOCATE FOR HEALTHY, ORGANIC LANDSCAPES WHICH POLLINATORS REQUIRE.

Life is in fuLL BLoom At

190 Fox Hollow Road Pinehurst, NC 28374

910-695-0011

Fresh air means fresh opportunities at Fox Hollow Senior Living. Whether you’re looking for more relaxation this spring or new activities with friends, we’ve got it all. Enjoy a chef-prepared meal in our dining room, join your friends for a Lifestyle360 class, or simply put your feet up and relax while we take care of the housekeeping. With a dedicated team of professionals, maintenance-free living, and our signature Warmth & Hospitality, you’ll fall in love with our lifestyle.

Call to discover the new opportunities waiting for you. www.FoxHollowSeniorLiving.com

ASSISTED LIVING • MEMORY CARE • RESPITE/SHORT-TERM STAYS ©2019 Five Star Senior Living

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 45 Pet Friendly

Hidden Hometown Heroes PATRICIA LOUNSBERRY: THE GLEANING GURU

46

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

W

by: Crissy Neville | Photography by: Morgan Masson

“When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan and the widow, so that the Lord your God may bless you in all your undertakings.� This directive from the God of Israel is found in the Old Testament scripture, Deuteronomy 24:19. As there has never been a time in history without need and suffering, these words still harken just as true today, some 3,000 years later. Whether this charitable work is performed for religious, philanthropic, or social reasons, the ritual of gleaning the land after harvest is an act with deep roots.

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 47

One modern-day gleaner who has made this ancient practice her life’s greatest work is Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) Fayetteville area director Patricia Lounsberry. SoSA is the nation-wide, volunteer-driven network that has spearheaded the gleaning efforts in the U.S. since 1992 with the slogan, “Gleaning America’s Fields – Feeding America’s Hungry.” Lounsberry is the local leader for the organization in the Cape Fear region. Akin to well-revered Biblical gleaners, Ruth and her daughter-in-law Naomi, Lounsberry takes a literal view of the second chapter of the book of Ruth. There, Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi during a time of hardship, “Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain.” Like Ruth, Lounsberry has been harvesting such remnants for over 16 years, and even now in her senior years, she is not yet in the short rows of her career or her passion.

Often seen in the past driving her large white van teeming with vegetable crates, fruit boxes and tired volunteers, Lounsberry traded the iconic vehicle in after it gave out after many years of hard use. These days, she meets fellow workers at any one of the 20-plus farms in the ten counties in her gleaning network, and they each depart with all they can carry away to distribute to those in need. Lounsberry recently took time near a gleaning of collards and greens at Burch Farms in Faison to talk with OutreachNC’s Crissy Neville about her efforts to fight hunger in southeastern N.C. Crissy Neville: The days of Ruth and Naomi are long ago. Why are the farmers of today letting SoSa glean their fields?

Patricia Lounsberry: Sometimes a farmer plants too much and we are able to go in and get the surplus. Often the surplus is already boxed up for us and ready to go. Other times, he may decide to abandon the crop because the produce or fruit was blemished or the wrong size or weight. In these cases, the farmer can’t sell this produce.

This imperfect produce would be either left to rot, plowed under or dumped in landfills as waste if it weren’t for SoSa. Sweet potatoes are a good 48

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

example of this. They are a hand-picked so the farmer might go out to the field and see there are not enough #1 potatoes and he decides to not even plow that field. Number 1 is a quality potato. You have number 1s, 2s, and 3s and then there are jumbos and canning potatoes. In this case, I might get the whole field to glean and there is not a thing wrong with those potatoes except they were not the desired size.

CN: Is there still a faith-based component to what you do now and what SoSa does?

PL: Yes! Gleaning is biblical. We act upon what is in scripture. Before we do anything we always pray for our efforts. We pray for no hurt, harm or danger to come to anyone gleaning. We pray over the food and where it is going and we pray for the farmer. We pray that God gives us a good day and we give thanks for our health, that we are standing up and are able to work on that day.

We pray for the food and that the people who get it are the ones who need it and are supposed to have it.

CN: You are the Fayetteville area coordinator for these efforts. Tell me more about what you coordinate and what your job entails.

PL: I coordinate the dates for gleaning the crops and produce we are getting from the farms in our gleaning network. I serve the counties of Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, Lee, Moore, Richmond, Sampson, and Scotland. I have over 20 farms currently but am always looking for more to partner with us. I also coordinate the volunteers.

Volunteers come from all kinds of churches, youth groups, civic groups, schools, clubs, and many individuals work apart from groups.

Most of the people who go out with me are the senior-aged adults and these are really my regulars. Up until just a couple of years ago, I had one lady that was 87 years old and she would go out and work circles around the rest of us. We would get tickled because we would be ready to go and she still would be out there working.

“We give thanks for W our health, that we are

standing up and are able to work on that day. “

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 49

W

“We take the produce to those who need it most and to those who can’t afford fresh food, all at no cost to them.”

50

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

CN: What is the criteria for becoming a volunteer for SoSa and how do you get involved?

PL: People interested in volunteering can go online to the volunteer tab at www.endhunger.org to find out more and fill out the annual registration and waiver forms. As far as who can go, we just need people that are able to go. I will take all ages but you do need a driver’s license. If they are under the age of 16, they must come with a supervising adult. We certainly need people who can pick and glean. As far as the physical labor, if you have back problems like I do or other issues, you can just do what you can and we can also give you something else to do besides pick. You could hand out boxes or bags, count or weigh what is picked, or help keep up with what everyone is doing. It is important to count what each volunteer picks and is taking away so the farmers can get credit for their crops.

CN: What types of crops are gleaned?

PL: I am glad you asked because some people think we only glean sweet potatoes! That was our original crop and how SoSa got started. Gleaning is all about the season.

In the spring we pick strawberries, green peas, onions, and potatoes, but we also still have some winter crops to glean such as kale, collards, some cabbage, sweet potatoes, mustard greens, and rutabagas. Summer is the gleaning goldmine. We pick squash, corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, blueberries, watermelons, peaches, cucumbers, cantaloupe, corn and sometimes peas, green beans, and butter beans.

We get so much corn that one year we had 5 gleanings in one day and they called me the Corn Queen! (laughing) Finally, the fall brings sweet potatoes, kale, collards, and other greens. Some other vegetables and fruits you may think of just don’t grow around here.

CN: Where is the gleaned produce taken? Who benefits from your work?

PL: Our volunteers take it straight from the field to their points of contact within 24 hours of picking. This includes

churches, senior citizen groups, homebound and sick individuals, food banks, feeding programs, soup kitchens, group homes and even schools. We take the produce to those who need it most and to those who can’t afford fresh food, all at no cost to them.

CN: Is your gleaning network successful?

PL: Yes!

Last year my group gleaned 707,384 lbs. of produce.

We held 96 events, logged 4574 hours, helped 107 agencies, and hosted 1731 volunteers collectively. And it is impressive to note that for every $1.00 donated on average 3 cents go towards administration, so 97 cents is going right back into the program. SoSa celebrates its 40th year anniversary this year.

CN: How else are you involved with Sosa? They have other faith-based programs, camps and more.

PL: Several times a year, SoSa sponsors Harvest of Hope mission weekend and week-long camps in various places.

When they are held in our state, I handle the gleaning part of the camps to teach the youth how to glean in order to help others. They also have intergenerational camps for all ages, from ages 8 to 80. These camps offer hunger lessons, bible studies, and camp activities. SOSA also produces Lent, Advent and bible study materials and promotes fundraiser efforts at the church level to further the fight against hunger and waste.

CN: Why do you do what you do?

PL: My volunteers and I see direct need and effect. We hear and see the stories of appreciation. These stories fuel me and keep me pumped up. I am 71 and this is a tiring job and a lot of work but I love it! My parents also instilled in me a need to give back and help others and that’s just what I try to do. I plan to keep on doing this just as long as I can.

Solutions for Your Home, Life and Business Come in today to talk with your Southern Pines Insurance team.

580 SW Broad Street | 910-692-5754 * Insurance products are underwritten by non-affiliated insurance companies.

Insurance products offered are not FDIC insured, not bank insured, may lose value, not insured by any federal government agency, not a bank deposit.

First Bank Insurance Services is a proud member of the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina and a Trusted Choice.

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 51

Wicked

WISTERIA

The Truth About Our Favorite Bloom Photography and Text by: Brady Beck

52

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

It starts out sounding like a good idea. Bring in a beautiful, fragrant, flowering vine from another part of the world and establish it in gardens in the United States. What could go wrong? Plenty. This was the case with the introduction of Chinese Wisteria to the Southeastern US in 1816. Since then it has been a popular horticultural choice to cover garden trellis and pergolas. It has also become a major threat to parks, forests, and wildlife habitat areas.

Humans have a bad habit of moving plants and animals (either intentionally or by accident) around the planet with little consideration for impacts on native wildlife or plant communities.

Consider the European Starling, Norway Rat, rabbits in Australia, Burmese Pythons in Florida, and wisteria and kudzu in the Southeast. These invasive species can not only be destructive to our native wildlife, but can have major disease and agricultural impacts.

Native plants are perfectly adapted to thrive in local soil, moisture, climatic conditions, predators, and pollinators. They provide sources of diverse food and cover for a wide variety of critters from insects to mammals.

Invasives like Chinese wisteria, kudzu and many others that have been removed from their native habitats and natural population controls can quickly out compete desirable native plant

communities. Large trees can be killed by the rapidly growing vine strangling them as they grow.

D

Diverse plant communities can become wisteria monocultures in a matter of a few years.

Wisteria seeds have been observed by the author to fly over 80’ once explosively released from their spring-loaded seed pod. Do not think that if you only have a small patch you can keep it contained.

Birds and flowing water can also move the seeds much greater distances.

What can we do? Wisteria, kudzu and other invasives are here to stay. But that doesn’t mean we have to continue to plant them.

S

Seek out and support plant nurseries that sell native plants.

These plants will use less water and play nicely with their neighbors. Remove any invasive plants near natural areas or forests. Removal can be difficult requiring lots of labor (removal of all root material underground) or targeted herbicides. It is far less expensive to not plant these invasive species in the first place than to try to remove them once they are established.

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 53

Native Versus Non-Native Wisteria

Native flowering vine alternatives include crossvine, American wisteria, Virginia creeper and trumpet honeysuckle. These vines are not only attractive but provide valuable food supplies for many bees, bats, and hummingbirds.

For more information on controlling invasive plants and finding native alternatives, go to the North Carolina Invasive Plant Council’s website: http://nc-ipc.weebly.com

We keep the lights on....

Premier Power Generation

940 S. Bennett St | SOUTHERN PINES 910-725-1141 54

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

Maintain Your Independence...

Together, we can navigate your chronic care medical issues.

Our Professional Aging Life Care™ Managers: • Make home visits to monitor results and coach clients on how to reach their goals • Manage medications for compliance • Provide support for doctor appointments • Provide information and referral services • Serve as a liaison for out-of-town family members • Provide support during a crisis

910.692.0683

www.AOSNC.com MAY 2019 | OutreachNC.com 55

“It’s an always come back place.”

56

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

Sherry’s Bakery: An Always Come Back Place Photos: Diana Matthews | Story: Kennedy Petersen “It’s an always come back place,” says Sherry the daughter of Freddie Williford, the current owner of Sherry’s Bakery, the local charm of Dunn, North Carolina. The bakery is just off I-95, making it the perfect pitstop, the perfect place to “come back,” as so many patrons do. One Floridian couple, well known in the bakery, makes a stop at the bakery each time they visit their daughter. The location, and the promise of the bakery specials draws in customers, like me, looking forward to a delicious start to the day. Walking in, I was delighted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and donuts frying. I sat at the center of the shop with Sherry Wilfred to talk pastries. From the minute we sat down, it was as if I was sitting with a celebrity. A constant flow of locals, everyone from doctors to construction workers, noticed Sherry and stopped to chat.

As we talked, Sherry smiled at the story of her father buying the bakery, once a space with only bar seating, and turning it into the “Sweetest Smelling Corner in Town.” The bakery sees business from Campbell, Raleigh, and of course loyal residents of Dunn. A token of the bakery, the Wisdom Table has seen the community through transitions, deaths, births, and all the other facts of life, and remains a staple today of the community spirit of the town and Sherry’s Bakery. Sherry pointed out a group of men who stop by the restaurant daily and congregate around it - the new Wisdom Table. Sherry reflected on her father’s traditions. “He was a real people person,” Sherry said. She recalls him passing out donut holes when the tables were filled and patrons waited. Sherry tells each story of her family with a smile; she talks of her father and mother, Freddie and Mary Williford, and siblings Wendy and Fred. She describes Fred as the “business side of Sherry’s,” while she’s more of the “donut lady”.

As I left, I looked at the many desserts and morning treats. Like a kid in a candy shop, I drooled over the chocolate chip cookies, apple fritters (Sherry’s personal favorite), and all the best donuts: jelly filled, glazed, and more. As I gazed at the treats, Sherry came around the corner with a box of donuts and a cup of coffee. My box was filled with donuts of all kinds and of course, the customer favorite: donut holes. And let me tell you, these donuts are worth all the calories. As Freddie Williford would say, “Things are low calorie if they are off the bottom shelf!” So feel free to eat on!

Sherry’s Bakery is located at 122 N. Wilson Avenue in Dunn, NC 28334 and is open Monday - Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. You may contact the bakery at 910-892-3310.

P.S. - March 3rd is now Freddie Williford day in Dunn, thanks to his involvement in church, the community, and of course his dedication to the perfect donut!

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 57

58

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

“The Wisdom Table” has seen the community through transitions, deaths, births, and all the other facts of life, and remains a staple today of the community spirit of the town and Sherry’s Bakery.

As Freddie Williford would say, “Things are low calorie if they are off the bottom shelf!”

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 59

Your Single Source for Events in "The Pines"

LOG ONTO

www.ThePinesTimes.com Contact Sue@ThePinesTimes.com or call 910 639 9909

Strong Starts Within Philip Mosley Independent Influencer

336-707-2101 MyBode.com/Philip Call for FREE sample Nutrition at the cellular level.

The only Wellness Company offering a Happiness Guarantee.

60

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

welcoming place for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, A dementia, brain disorders and mild cognitive impairment and

their family member or friend to gather in fellowship, free of charge.

Programs Located at: 165 Shepherd Trail|Aberdeen, NC

PROGRAM DATES:

MAY 15 | JULY 17 | SEPTEMBER 18 | NOVEMBER 20

3 - 4:30 P.M.

910.585.6757

QUESTIONS? info@aosfcare.org

AOSFCare.org MAY 2019 | OutreachNC.com

AOS & Friends Care is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization

61

GREY MATTER See Grey Matter Puzzle Answers on Page 65 Puzzle 17 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.49)

9 7

2

4

7

8

SEEDS SHRUBS SOD SPRING TREES TROUBLESHOOT WATER WEED WILDLIFE WORMS

9

5

4

9

1

7

6

5 8

5 7

IRRIGATION LANDSCAPE LAWN MULCHING PATHWAY PESTICIDE PLANTING PLANTS PRUNE ROOTS ROWS

4

5

9

3

3 1

8

2

BED COMPOST CURB APPEAL DESIGN DROUGHT FERTILIZE GARDEN GRASS GREEN GRUBS HOSE

5

1

6

9

2 13. Occurring at a fitting time 17. Vogue 24. Born of 25. Get the job done 26. Teletype (Computers) 27. Small southern constellation 28. Decaliters 29. Area near the concert stage 35. Social insect living in organized colonies 36. Winter activity 37. Snakelike fish 38. Not wet 40. In addition to 41. In league 42. Barrels per day (abbr.)

43. Monetary unit 44. Marked DOWN 45. Emerges 1. Mathematical optimization search 47. Shape by heating 48. Early Slavic society method 49. Italian automaker 2. Country along the 52. Racing legend Arabian peninsula Earnhardt 3. Pointed parts of pens 53. A type of name 4. Lake __, one of the 54. __ Strauss, jeans Great maker 5. Peruvian region 55. Famed garden 6. State capital of Georgia 26. A larval frog or toad 7. Those killed for their 30. Sport for speedsters beliefs 31. One who is learning 8. Typeface 32. Request 9. Shrill cry 33. Famed WWII 10. Sends via the Postal conference Service 34. Relieved 11. Holds grain 39. English broadcaster 42. Car signal 44. Grass part 46. Trivially 47. Serve as a warning 49. Centers of activity 50. An electrically charged atom 51. Small swelling of cells 56. Irritates 57. “__ your i’s, cross your t’s” 58. Removed 59. “Death in the Family” author 60. When you hope to arrive 61. German district 62. Turner and Kennedy 63. Midway between south and southeast 64. Emerald Isle

15. Type of cuisine ACROSS 16. Kids 1. Tenor 5. Panthers’ signal caller 18. Single Lens Reflex 19. Extra seed-covering 8. Systems, doctrines, 20. Force out theories 21. Feline 12. Rulers 22. __ & Stitch 14. Indonesian coastal 23. Semantic relations town 62 OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

life

OVER MY SHOULDER

Maternal Connections

by Ann Robson unless she comes along. I don’t see a lot of bonding on such a trip but I do hope she gets there sometime. A nice post This sentiment can be found on many plaques, from card will be all I need. rough wooden ones to lovely china ones. It is also found in greeting cards. Where it really matters, however, is coming We did have a three-generation grandmother, mother, from the mouth of a mother to her child. daughter trip to Ireland to celebrate Nana’s 80th birthday.

We all learned wonderful things about each other, In these modern technical times, my daughter and I have about Ireland and about traveling together. It was a adopted a regular pattern of texting. Hers always begin very special trip. with “safe and sound in …” I can then relax and have a good sleep. She usually checks in between 7 and 8 p.m. and Now, where to next? We’d enjoy Las Vegas together. There’s if there’s been no word by 10, I do begin to worry a little. By always Paris. Or what about Biltmore during the holiday season? A return visit to the Grand Canyon would be fun 11, I’m more than a little worried. Realizing this, we now and while we’re in the area there’s always Yellowstone and have a fallback text in which she says “running late, will Old Faithful. What about a long weekend in San Francisco? text when I stop.” With a sigh of relief I text back “10-4,” We really don’t have to go far. Someone who spends her life the now outdated phrase from CB days which meant that driving appreciates some quiet down time now and then. everything is OK. “Call your mother …. She worries.”

Lest you think I’m too demanding expecting a nightly text, my daughter is a truck driver and at any given moment can be anyplace in the United States or Canada, so it’s a necessary connection for peace of mind. She also wants to be sure everything is well with her aging parents.

A lot has been made of the mother-daughter connection in art and literature for centuries. A recent Pew poll found that the mother-son bond is strong as well but for some reason more attention is given the mother-daughter one.

As the mother of one daughter, I don’t know about any other bond. I do get hints from my twin nephews with whom I feel a strong reciprocal connection and am grateful for it.

There are several publications suggesting “Trips you must take with your daughter before you die.” What a depressing thought: we must make a list and check it off as soon as possible, just in case.

In our case we took many trips as a family, leaving very little undone. I’ve been told that I can’t go to the Galapagos

The real connection doesn’t have to be face-to-face, just heart-to-heart. Motherhood has many challenges from the first moment you see her until the last. The world around us is moving and changing so quickly that today’s mothers have a very hard job. If they can grab any ‘social’ time with their child or children, those moments are treasures to get you through any rough spots.

My favorite quote about motherhood: It’s the toughest job you’ll ever love. Thanks to our mothers, grandmothers, mothers-in-law, aunts who were like mothers, and anyone who plays a motherhood role.

Happy Mothers’ Day!

Ann Robson is the author of “Over My Shoulder: Tales of Life and Death and Everything In Between.” She can be reached at overmyshoulder@charter.net .

MAY 2019 |

OutreachNC.com 63

Vigil Strange I Kept on the Field One Night Vigil strange I kept on the field one night; When you my son and my comrade dropt at my side that day, One look I but gave which your dear eyes return’d with a look I shall never forget, One touch of your hand to mine O boy, reach’d up as you lay on the ground, Then onward I sped in the battle, the even-contested battle, Till late in the night reliev’d to the place at last again I made my way, Found you in death so cold dear comrade, found your body son of responding kisses, (never again on earth responding,) Bared your face in the starlight, curious the scene, cool blew the moderate night-wind, Long there and then in vigil I stood, dimly around me the battle-field spreading, Vigil wondrous and vigil sweet there in the fragrant silent night, But not a tear fell, not even a long-drawn sigh, long, long I gazed, Then on the earth partially reclining sat by your side leaning my chin in my hands, Passing sweet hours, immortal and mystic hours with you dearest comrade— not a tear, not a word, Vigil of silence, love and death, vigil for you my son and my soldier, As onward silently stars aloft, eastward new ones upward stole, Vigil final for you brave boy, (I could not save you, swift was your death, I faithfully loved you and cared for you living, I think we shall surely meet again,) Till at latest lingering of the night, indeed just as the dawn appear’d, My comrade I wrapt in his blanket, envelop’d well his form, Folded the blanket well, tucking it carefully over head and carefully under feet, And there and then and bathed by the rising sun, my son in his grave, in his rude-dug grave I deposited, Ending my vigil strange with that, vigil of night and battle-field dim, Vigil for boy of responding kisses, (never again on earth responding,) Vigil for comrade swiftly slain, vigil I never forget, how as day brighten’d, I rose from the chill ground and folded my soldier well in his blanket, And buried him where he fell.

64

WALT WHITMAN, 1819 - 1892

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

1

9

2

6

4

3

8

5 7

2

7

5

4

9

3

4

8

8

1

6

9

3

2 1

6

7

5

Southeastern Health & Duke Health Puzzle 16 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.50)

5

8

4

3

1

2

6

7

1

9

4

6

8

3

9

7

3

2

3

5

6

5

9

1

7

1

6

3

7

5

2

4

8

5

8

4

7

1

4

9

5

8

8 5 7 1 4 9 3 2 6 a powerful combination against heart and 4 5 6 2 1 9 7 3 8 3 1 4 8 5 2 6 9 vascular 7disease.

Puzzle 19 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.55)

8

(910) 671-6619

300 West 27th Street Lumberton, NC 28358

2 3

7 1

3 9

6

7

4

6

1

5

2

8

5

4

6

7offers 9 3 full-service 5 4 8 2

1

5

2936 North Elm Street, Suite 102 Lumberton, NC 28358

9

1Southeastern 4 6 2 8 3Health 9 7

heart, thoracic, and 1 2vascular 8 9 7procedures, 3 5 4 6 9 6including: 5 8 4 2 1 7 3

3

4• Coronary 7 5 6 Artery 1 9 Bypass 8 2 Grafts (CABG) • Valve surgery Puzzle 22 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.49) • Thoracic surgical 5 4 procedures 7 6 3 1for9treatment 8 2 of diseases of the chest 9 8 and 2 4lungs 7 5 6 3 1 3 6• Percutaneous 1 2 8 9 Coronary 5 4 7 Intervention (PCI) 1 9• Insertion 4 5 2 of3permanent 8 7 6 6 3 pacemakers 5 8 4 7 2 1 9 • Comprehensive vascular 2 7 services 8 9 1 6 3 5 4 4 1• Electrophysiology 6 3 5 2 7 9 8 7

5

9

1

6

8

4

2

www.southeasternhealth.org/heartandvascular 8

2

3

7

9

4

1

6

3

5

8

3

SUDOKU

3

1

4

Puzzle 17 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.49)

3

7

6

5

9

6

1

2

4

5

7

9

6

1ANSWERS 7 3 6 9

4

1

3

4

2

8

6

5

4GREY 7 1 MATTER 9 2 6 8

5

8

5

2

2

3

8

7

6

2

3

1

7

9

2

7

5

8

3

1

5

4

5

9

9

2

6

6

4

1

6

6

2

4

1

7

8

2

2

3

7

1

9

8 4 9

9

2

8

9

8

7

2

3

1

7

5

4

8

4

5

8

6

7 9

5 3

3 4

3 9 2

1 8

1 5

7

5

6

1

6

3

2

6

2 4

4

7

3

4

6

9

5

8

7

9

8

2 9

1

WORD SEARCH

Puzzle 20 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.50)

5

R3 O7 T4 A2 T1 E9 6

M8 E

4

6

7

1

3

8

1

2

9

7

3

6

5

8 9 1

4

3

2

5

7

1

8

2

9

3

2

9

6

5

4

6

4

9

6

8 5

2 4

5 3

5 2 7

1 4

1 8

2

7

7

3

8

4

7

1

3 5

5

6

9

6

8

3

4

8

9

7

6

2 1

9

Puzzle 23 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.49)

3

8 CROSSWORD 2 4 5 6 1 9

7

5

2

9

1

6

8

7

9

3

5

4

8

5

1

3

6

2

7

6

4

9

3

5

4

1

7

2

7

8

4

1

2

7

2 6

3

8

MAY 2019 |

2 1

9 6

9 6 4

1 8

9

6

3

3

9

8

7

5

7

4

2

7

4

5 2

4

5

9

8

3

3

5

1

OutreachNC.com 65

1 6

8

Generations

OutreachNC asked adults and children our May question. Share your answer on our Facebook page.

What makes your house feel like home?

A dog. Always a dog. - Amy, 43

Grilled cheese sandwiches and Legos. - Joe, 6

When my mom cooks dinner and it’s warm. - Johnny, 7 Good lighting and fresh flowers. - Andrea, 45

Flowers, music, books, drinking coffee in the morning and making a nice dinner to share with someone you love. And dogs. - Allegra, 65

My goldfish. - Peyton, 8

My Star Wars sheets. - Peter, 9

Having family around. - Philippe, 54

My family and my dog. - Adam, 36

Listening to my mom play the piano. - Erik, 5

My Gomma (92 year old great-grandmother). - Louisa, 3

My wife. - Bob, 73

Coffee in my favorite mugs and snuggling with Louisa in jammies. - Stephanie, 35

Sunshine through a window and a plant on a windowsill.

I have to have some outside on the inside. - Leigh, 82

66

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

Everyday Enrichment for Older Adults

“Mom’s really enjoying her visits to The Retreat.

She looks forward to the activities and conversations with her new friends while I am at work.”

Schedule a Visit TODAY! Explore The Retreat’s variety of activities & events! www.SandhillsAdultDay.com 165 Shepherd Trail|Aberdeen, NC 28315 OutreachNC.com 910.722.1035 MAY 2019 |

67

Spring Into New Adventures At

190 Fox Hollow Road Pinehurst, NC 28374

910-695-0011

Join us for a tour at Fox Hollow Senior Living and discover a full schedule of Lifestyle360 activities, chef-prepared meals offering flavor and flexibility, and exceptional senior living experiences. At Five Star, the possibilities are endless.

CALL TO SEE HOW YOU CAN BLOSSOM THIS SPRING. www.FoxHollowSeniorLiving.com 68

ASSISTED LIVING • MEMORY CARE • RESPITE/SHORT-TERM STAYS

OutreachNC.com | MAY 2019

©2019 Five Star Senior Living

Pet Friendly