Bryson City Magazine April May 2020 by BAEO Publishing

BRYSONMagazine CITY

April & May 2020

SELF CARE | FASHION | FAMILY | GRUB WE

| GETTING OUTDOORS

SWAIN

CENTER

Swain High School

Coming

soon

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dark, but not the darkest thing in 2020 2

Is this reality? reality? Alright y’all, I feel like everyday for the last year I have awakened and said, “Is this real life? “ It started like a dream. Leaving my corporate career and starting my own magazine. Everything from getting an office to planning our launch party was like something I wanted in my fairytale script. I genuinely found myself living a life I never thought I could have. Fast forward less than twelve months later and I find myself pinching my arm for a very different set of reasons. I came across the storm analogy (blue box on left) on social media and found it to be Ashley and her husband Brian live in Bryson City insightful and felt as though it drew an accurate picture of how so many with their two boys Evan, 13 & Owen, 9. A typical of us are feeling these days. Call me an eternal optimist but I honestly boy mom, she chases sports and school activities. believe that at the end of this global pandemic we will all find some She has a passion for Swain County and pretty greater meaning to all of this. things. These are unprecedented times and they have called for creativity to the bones of our foundation. Our typical print We are all in the same boat. schedules and content plans went out the window and we We are not all in the same storm. found ourselves looking at creative ways to do business. Thus, For some people it’s sprinkling. This is a break. It’s a breather. It’s a pause we have thrown the manual out and have started over. While this issue is digital only we hope that you will take advantage in the “normal.” This is a time to reconnect with family and slow down. of all the features our digital platform allows. Take the time to Honestly, it’s kind of peaceful. dig in, read the stories, watch the videos and online shop. Eventually the storm will pass and the sun will come For some it’s a storm. It’s a bit scary. It’s disruptive It’s enough to make out, and when it does I look forward to printing my dream you stay up and watch the news and worry. magazine again, but until then I hope you enjoy our digital publication and all the cool features that go along with it. For some it’s a hurricane. It’s tearing at the boards and pulling off the Until next time, roof. It’s washing them out to sea. It’s dark and unknown. It’s life-

changing.

It is not wrong to be enjoying the sprinkles or enduring the storm, but please don’t negate the difference. Rest with family, but don’t minimize the hurricane engulfing your neighbor. -Unknown

On the cover 2020 “Hoping for more sunrises like this in 2020.”. Bryan Malloch @bryanmalloch Instagram bryanmallach.com

Ashley Butcher, Publisher

We are loving it Zoom Calls with friends

Spring break with friends is a tradition we look forward to in Florida with sunshine and laughter. We are thankful for Zoom calls where we can catch up, see each others faces and make plans later in the year.

Contents Cover Story | Self Care .......................................6 Family | A new way of learning..........................11 Getting Outdoors | What’s in my pack..............12 Fashion| Spring Clean.....................................17 Grub we | Strawberry lemon cake...............25

Publisher Ashley Butcher ashley@brysoncitymagazine.com

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ALL PEOPLE COMING INTO SWAIN COUNTY FROM OUT OF STATE OR COUNTRY MUST QUARANTINE FOR 14 DAYS BRING YOUR OWN SUPPLIES

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APRIL 17, 2020

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How to Practice SelfSelf-Care During Quarantine

Stuck at home, you sigh. The same dread you had yesterday sits heavy in your chest. You crawl to the computer, wondering how to ease the feeling. You have exhausted all your options and found yourself looking up self-care articles. Do not worry; you are in good company.

COVER STORY

Find a Routine

A routine is one of the simplest ways to ease anxiety, especially in a global pandemic. An hour-by-hour color-coded excel sheet is not necessary (although, making one might be a fun way to pass the time). Keep your routine small and easy to follow. For example, make a grooming routine. Do not let your grooming standards fall...too far. After all, you do not want your eyebrows to look like fuzzy caterpillars on your face when civilization returns to normal.

Exercise/Yoga Youtube

Exercise is a great way to stay motivated. There are tons of YouTube videos and gyms offering free online classes for you to stay (or get, no judgment here) fit. Many of these exercises and classes do not require equipment, so your startup cost is zero if you already have internet (and if you are reading this article, chances are you do). If you are not into high-energy exercise, perhaps some light YouTube Yoga is for you, which is just as beneficial.

Find Ways to Connect

Staying connected finds its way onto every self-care list out there, and you may be rolling your eyes. Do not dismiss this step. There is a reason it pops up on every list: staying connected is vital. Do mental health check-ins with your friends through text or social media. Your friends are likely as bored and lonely as you right now, so set up an online video game or a time to video chat. Get a group of friends together and play a virtual game of Cards Against Humanity. Websites like Zoom will also let you video conference with multiple people.

Learn a New Skill/ Expand Your Horizons

Take some time to invest in learning new skills. Learn how to cook easy, simple meals. Learn how to properly clean the oven. If that does not interest you, many websites currently offer discounted courses. Now is the time to buy classes to improve your personal life and your career. From freelance writing to graphic design to Search Engine Optimization, you will find something that interests you.

Stay Motivated

Staying motivated is complicated even without a global pandemic. Find and do what inspires you. Make small, achievable goals for your day, and make a personal reward system. Did you finish a work task? You get ten minutes of playing Animal Crossing or petting your cat. You will likely finish your work faster this way.

Make and Enjoy Art

Perhaps one of the most overlooked ways to practice self-care is to make and enjoy art. Sure, you can Google famous paintings, but there is so much more out there. Find digital artists, play video games and appreciate the animation, watch a movie and appreciate the acting (or lack thereof), look for new music, color, read a book or draw. Not only will you pass a good chunk of time, but you may also discover a new hobby or artist.

Clean Your Space

This one is simple. Cleaning your space will leave you with a sense of accomplishment and will help eliminate germs in your house. Cleaning does not have to be boring! Make a game with your kid, use that reward system from earlier, or challenge your significant other to clean a room faster than you can.

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Cover Story | Self Care Continued from Page 7

Journal

Almond • Bryson City • Cullowhee Dillsboro • Fontana Lake Lake Santeetlah • Nantahala Robbinsville • Stecoah • Sylva Topton • Whittier

Explore

Journaling will help you get thoughts out of your mind and down on paper. You may say journaling is not for you, but there are many different ways to journal. A popular type right now is bullet journaling, where you simply make a bullet point list. Just jotting down what is on your mind might make you feel better - and if not, bullet journaling does not take much investment or time.

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Find Humor

The old saying, “Laughter is the best medicine,” has merit. Find humor in those Card Against Humanity games. Watch movies that you know make you laugh like a fiend. Make witty jokes with your friends and send a relatable GIF or meme so everyone can chuckle.

Walters temper tantrum is everyone in 2020!

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Give Yourself a Break

Above all, give yourself a break. Do not stress if you mess up that routine, or if you cannot stand to look at another blank page, or if just the thought of cleaning makes you literally groan. Right now, the world is not normal, and you may be experiencing emotions you have not felt before. Let yourself have the time to process, and always remember to breathe.

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BRYSON CITY RESTAURANTS WITH TAKE OUT AND DELIVERY OPTIONS

Everett Street Diner 828-488-0123 Breakfast & Lunch Delivery Available

Loretta’s Snak Shak 828-341-1999 Lunch Delivery Available

Guayabito’s Mexican Restaurant

The Iron Wok

CJ’s Grille

828-488-1336 Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

828-488-9553 Lunch & Dinner Delivery Available

828-488-9880 Lunch & Dinner

La Dolce Vita Bakery

NaBer’s Drive In

Mad Meals Prep

828-488-5888 Breakfast & Lunch

828-488-2877 Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

828-736-5861 Meals to go, Weekly menu Delivery Available

FRANCHISE OPTIONS

WINE & SPIRITS Town of Bryson City ABC 828-488-6682

828-538-0420

SWEETS & SNACK SHIPPING

828-488-9119

FRESH PRODUCE & MEATS

K&B Meat Processing

828-488-2376

828-488-2533

828-488-2584

SWAIN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (828) 488- 3681

A new way of learning Quick links & Cool activities Swain Schools COVID-19 page Preschool & Elementary Read a story together with West Elementary

You’ve got this!

Know your kid

All kids are different. This is never more obvious than in homes with multiple children. While one may be currently crawling up the walls trying to get out of the house, another may be flourishing. So when it comes to this new digital learning platform, take a moment and know you may have to adjust your patience level to help them manage.

Set a routine

Much like school days, a routine may be require to maintain sanity. Setting up a designated space and time may alleviate the temper tantrums. Kindergarten through 5th grade students. IStation is now available Middle & High School Arts & Culture Experiments Science

Forgive yourself

Being a parent is hard, kids don’t come with a manual. During this time, try and enjoy the slower pace and remember that eventually we will all go back to our faster pace lives and this will all be but a memory.

“Remote learning has taken on a new face for our school system. Certainly we are still using paper packets for work products in some corners, but this has shifted to digital reinforced education. In the past, digital learning has largely been as a substitute for paper and pencil or perhaps a textbook, today it is the delivery method much more like post-secondary education. This shift has been a challenge especially given the time frame for preparation. We have been utterly amazed at the adaptive power of our staff to learn how to create interactive lessons including digital group face-to-face engagement. And our technology staff, under the direction of Karen Cook, have been the unsung heroes of the school system. We can not praise our staff enough for the effort they have shown that is leading to success and probably to new ways of instructing when we get back in our buildings.” Mark Sale Superintendent Swain County School System

What’’s in my pack? What pack?

Angelia “Angie” Rogers is an avid outdoor enthusiast. Her outdoor hobbies include hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, and whitewater kayaking. Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, she moved to Western North Carolina in 2016 to pursue a life outside. She is a mother of two college-aged children. Angie works as a nurse, writer, trail guide, photographer, and a SOLO Wilderness Medicine and Survival Skills instructor. If you don’t find her at work or on the water or in the woods, then she is traveling with her partner Shane around the continental US in their off-grid converted van.

he world is waking from its winter sleep. The trees are budding. The birds are singing. The mountains are greening. This is the perfect season to grab your backpack and camera for a day or weekend of outdoor adventuring. I keep my daypack ready with “The Ten Essentials” and my favorite “Must Haves.” Not much is better than a spontaneous hike after work with friends. No one enjoys the stress of rushing around to prepare quickly for an outing, and preparation is the key to success. Therefore, I’m sharing with you what’s in my pack and why.

The Ten Essentials

Navigational Equipment Because the Great Smoky Mountains is my backyard, my daypack has the Great Smoky Mountain National Park trail map in an easily accessible pocket. I have a whistle-compass combo attached to my backpack strap. I also have the AllTrails app and Maps 3D app downloaded on my phone. Both apps can be used without cell service and when the phone is in airplane mode.

Water Filtration Water sources are usually plentiful in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For day hikes, I generally carry one or two liters of water and a Sawyer Micro water filter. This filter is small, light weight, and extremely easy to use.

Warm Layers Hypothermia is one of the leading causes of backcountry deaths and can occur even in the summer months. Knowing that cold kills and the fact that I absolutely despise being cold, I always carry a wool Buff to use as a hat and my Mont Bell puffy jacket. Again, both of these items are lightweight and require only a small space. Being wet can also lead to hypothermia; therefore, I also carry The North Face rain pants and an Arcteryx rain jacket. I use my rain gear to not only keep me dry but also to help keep me warm on windy days. Plus the rain pants allow me to sit anywhere and not worry about getting a damp derrière.

Fire Starting Supplies A fire warms the body and the soul; in addition, it can signal for help. The ability to start a fire - even on a wet, soggy day - is a skill everyone who spends time in the woods should practice. My trick to fire starting is lightweight, inexpensive, simple and fun to make. You’ll need cotton balls, petroleum jelly, and a container to keep the cotton balls dry. (I use a snack size Ziploc baggie.) Open the cotton balls and place a dollop of petroleum jelly in the middle. Fluff the cotton around the petroleum jelly before lighting. I light my “fire starting” cotton ball with a flint and steel striker. These strikers work even when wet. The petroleum jelly cotton ball will burn for approximately five minutes, often igniting damp wood.

Sun Protective Gear Dehydration leads to heat exhaustion, which leads to heat stroke, then death; thus, protecting yourself from the sun and heat is important. In my pack you will find an Outdoor Research Radar Pocket Cap, Costa sunglasses, and sunscreen. I also carry an umbrella. (More on this later in my “Must Haves” section.)

Shelter I carry a SOL Bivvy as my emergency shelter. It weighs only 3.5 ounces and is bright orange for easy detection.

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Headlamp Light at night eases the mind and makes tasks easier to accomplish. I use a 375 lumen Black Diamond headlamp. It fits nicely in my pack hip belt pocket for easy access.

First Aid Necessities You can buy or build yourself a first aid kit. My personal first aid kit includes diphenhydramine for allergic reactions, items for bleeding control, and materials for splint building. I recommend taking a wilderness first aid class. Knowledge is one of the best skills you can have in the backcountry.

9 10

Knife A sharp knife is a good knife. I carry a Mora fixed blade knife. The blade is five inches long, which is long enough to use for splitting wood but small enough to use for carving and cooking.

Extra Food According to the Survival Rule of Threes, most people can survive three weeks without food. However, carrying a little extra food on your adventure is a good idea. If you have low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), this extra food in your pack could save your life. Also, we make better decisions when our brain is not starving, and we have the energy we need to gather water and wood for fires when our bodies are fed. Choose high caloric and high fat foods to carry in your pack. Also be sure to pack some fast acting, simple carbohydrates. I carry jerky, nuts, jellybeans, and chocolate covered espresso beans as my emergency food.

y “Must Haves” for my outdoor adventures may be different than yours. Mine are unique to me, but you might find that they are also perfect for you.

Must Haves

The Kula Cloth I use the Kula Cloth in place of using toilet paper after urination. The Kula Cloth is reusable, silver infused - therefore antimicrobial - pee cloth. It is absorbent on one side and waterproof on the other, keeping my hands dry and clean.

Xenvo Smartphone Wide-angle and Macro Camera Lenses I adhere to the “leave only footprints and take only pictures” philosophy when I am immersed in nature. I love capturing pictures of the rare Pink Lady Slipper, the bubble gum pink mosses, and the glorious mountains of “Chicken in the Woods” mushrooms. I am also quick to capture the smiles on my friends’ faces when they see an epic view, a beautiful waterfall, or a Trillium for the first time. These lenses allow me to leave my full-size camera at home and use my phone’s camera. They also fit nicely in my pack hip belt pocket, allowing me to snap pictures in a moment’s notice.

Therm-a-Rest Z-Seat Pad With this lightweight pad in an outside pocket of my pack, I no longer have a wet bottom when I sit to rest and eat or have the rocks leach all of my precious heat from my body. I even carry it on my backpacking trips and use it under my hips with my sleeping pad for extra padding because I am a side sleeper.

Liteflex Hiking Umbrella by Gossamer Gear I really dislike wearing the hood on my raincoat because I feel constricted and my line of vision is limited. Therefore, I love my lightweight umbrella. It weighs only 8 ounces. Not only does it keep my head dry but helps keep my pack drier too. On sunny days, it is excellent for providing shade and keeping my face and shoulders from becoming sunburn. My umbrella is not a trekking item that I ever choose to leave at home.

Lexi Corklite Trekking Poles For me, no trekking poles equal Angie falling at some point along the hike. Trekking poles offer me stability. I also hike faster when I use trekking poles. Faster hiking means that I can cover more distance, and I also do not tire as easily because the work is no longer reliant only on my legs. An added bonus of using trekking poles is that my arms also get a terrific work out. Who doesn’t want toned arms? This spring, I encourage you to get outside and explore the trails in our backyard. Go ahead and pre-pack your backpack. If you are in need of supplies, shop local. Both Bryson City Outdoors and the Nantahala Outdoor Center have many of the items I mentioned in this article. If you are nervous about your fire starting abilities or first aid skills, take a wilderness survival class or wilderness first aid class from SOLO Southeast located on the Nantahala Outdoor Center campus. If you are not quite sure where to go hike and would like a guide, give Carolina Bound Adventures a call. Get outside, stretch your legs, inhale deep breaths of our glorious mountain air, and feel renewed as our woods are waking from its winter slumber.

Fashion | Spring Clean

Click here

SPRING CLEAN

your CLOSET & UPDATE yourWardrobe

but try everything on! If you feel hesitant, set the garment aside and come back to it. Get rid of all items that are too large, too small or the wrong colors for you. Everything should fit you today! Also, it is time to part ways with clothes that you have not worn in over a year except for special occasion pieces!

2. Keep your basics Basics are key to building the remainder

of your wardrobe. Denim, bottoms, leggings, blazers, tanks, and tees all play a factor in your daily attire. Make sure they fit properly, since they are essentially the key to keeping your wardrobe updated in the most economical way.

3. Invest in good quality hangers It is important to invest in good quality

hangers for a few reasons. •Hangers keep your clothing looking the way that they are supposed to. •Hangers help to give your closet more space.

Click here •Hangers help maintain the organizational flow in your closet. I recommend a skinny - multipurpose felted hanger that can be used for shirts, pants and dresses.

4type. Organize your closet by color and of garment

When you organize your clothing according to color and type of garment, you will easily and quickly find what you are looking for. Everything will be in clear sight, giving you many more options to work with when putting an outfit together. Just imagine the time you will save in frustration.

5. GoNowshopping that your closet is clean and

updated, let the spring shopping adventure begin. Here are five spring trends to add to your closet: •Metallic Colors • Floral Prints • Artsy Prints • Pleats • Slouchy/ Boyfriend Style Pants

Click on the photos above for direct links to shopping.

Photography supplied by local small business retailers: Humanite Boutique, Southbound Boutique & Madison’s on Main

1. Purge This process can be rather exhausting,

Whitney Alexandra