23 minute read
Yellow Mountain Preserve
Yellow Mountain Preserve, a breathtaking estate perched on the slopes of Yellow Mountain, is a rare property that adjoins National Forest Service land. To learn more and to view this unique parcel, call Liz Harris with McKee Properties at (828) 342-3194.
Located on the beautiful Highlands-Cashiers Plateau, Yellow Mountain is unquestionably one of the most majestic peaks in Western North Carolina. Few places in the world rival the majestic beauty of this mountain.
Seldom does one have an opportunity to own any property as remotely spectacular as Yellow Mountain, but as it happens this rare opportunity exists. Mckee Properties agent Liz Harris is offering Yellow Mountain Preserve, a 200-acre estate on the north, west, and east sides of Yellow Mountain.
It offers majestic views and recreation possibilities, and adjoins over 12,000 acres of National Forest Service lands that encompass the south side of the mountain.
“Yellow Mountain Preserve has a special ‘Sound Of Music’ feel that brings joy to everyone who spends time there,” says Harris.
This estate opportunity boasts the highest elevation on the Cashiers-Highlands Plateau at 5,127 feet at its highest point. It offers panoramic views, a charming cottage and gate-house, large sweeping gentleman’s farm, spring fed pond, direct access to hiking trails, and roads and utilities throughout. Located centrally between Cashiers and Highlands and minutes from the area’s finest golf clubs, Yellow Mountain Preserve could not be more ideally suited for a majestic family estate, or as a carefully planned low-density community.
The property is blessed with abundant water, including high-flow wells and a lovely spring-fed pond.
Yellow Mountain Preserve is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own and enjoy the best the Cashiers-Highlands Plateau has to offer. Nature has provided the grandeur with stunning views and lush vegetation. With infrastructure and access to high speed internet in place, you’ll be sitting on top of the world, with the world at your fingertips.
For more information on this rare opportunity to own a piece of paradise, call Liz Harris with Mckee Properties at (828) 342-3194.
by Mary Jane McCall
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Even Singles Need Estate Plans
If you don’t have a spouse or children, you might think you don’t need to do much estate planning. But if you have any assets, any familial connections, any interest in supporting charitable groups – not to mention a desire to control your own future – you do need to establish an estate plan.
In evaluating your needs for this type of planning, let’s start with what might happen if you die intestate – that is, without a last will and testament. In this scenario, your assets will likely have to go through the probate process, which means they’ll be distributed by the court according to your state’s intestate succession laws, essentially without regard to your wishes. Even if you don’t have children yourself, you may have nephews or nieces, or even children of cousins or friends, to whom you would like to leave some of your assets, which can include not just money but also cars, collectibles, family memorabilia and so on. But if everything you own goes through probate, there’s no guarantee that these individuals will end up with what you wanted them to have.
If you want to leave something to family members or close friends, you will need to indicate this in your last will and testament or other estate planning documents. But you also may want to provide support to one or more charitable organizations. Of course, you can simply name these charities in your will, but there may be options that could provide you with more benefits.
One such possibility is a charitable remainder trust. Under this arrangement, you’d transfer appreciated assets – such as stocks, mutual funds or other securities – into an irrevocable trust. The trustee, whom you’ve named – in fact, you could serve as trustee yourself – can then sell the assets at full market value, avoiding the capital gains taxes you’d have to pay if you sold them yourself, outside a trust. Plus, if you itemize, you may be able to claim a charitable deduction on your taxes. With the proceeds, the trust can purchase income-producing assets and provide you with an income stream for the rest of your life. Upon your death, the remaining
trust assets will go the charities you’ve named.
Aside from family members and charitable groups, there’s a third entity that’s central to your estate plans: yourself. Everyone should make arrangements to protect their interests, but, in the absence of an immediate family, you need to be especially vigilant about your financial and health care decisions. And that’s why, as part of your estate planning, you may want to include these two documents: durable power of attorney and a health care proxy.
A durable power of attorney lets you name someone to manage your finances should you become incapacitated. This arrangement is especially important for anyone who doesn’t have a spouse to step in. And if you become incapacitated, your health care proxy – also known as a health care surrogate or medical power of attorney – lets you name another person to legally make health care decisions for you if you can’t do so yourself.
Estate planning moves can be complex, so you’ll need help from a legal professional and possibly your tax and financial advisors. You may not have an immediate family, but you still need to take steps to protect your legacy.
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. Edward Jones, Member SIPC
Mary Beth Brody
The Art of Living
Beth and Ken Bowser
For Beth and Ken Bowser, art is central to the art of living together in love and joy.
The story of the pandemic is full of tales of couples’ relationships strained by the compelled togetherness.
On the other hand, Beth and Ken Bowser seem to be the perfect pandemic pair.
Unlike other couples, forced into becoming perpetual co-workers by the stay-at-home orders, they had shared a world of ministry and creative expression for most of their nearly 44 years together.
Ken paints, and Beth constructs works from glass.
They met in Canton, Ohio, in 1975; Ken was then a pastor in the United Methodist Church. Like her husband, Beth also was in the ministry in the United Methodist Church. She also worked in higher education administration.
In 1995 Ken retired, and the couple moved to Glenville. The couple both had ties to the South and especially Atlanta – Beth was born there, and Ken had received his Masters of Divinity at the Emory University, Candler School of Theology.
Beginning in the 1960’s Beth visited Glenville regularly, where a favorite uncle had a home. Beth, on her part, remained active in ministry until 2017.
Once in Glenville, they set up working art studios in their new home.
Ken had begun painting in high school. It wasn’t until seven years after graduation from the seminary he took up painting again – then in oil. When, a few years later, he met Hudson, Ohio, resident and well-known watercolorist Lowell Ellsworth Smith, he enthusiastically embraced the medium.
Smith eventually became his mentor, encouraging his art and helping him hone his skills through collaborations with fellow artists and visits to Colorado, New Mexico, and Mexico.
Glass has been Beth’s passion since she was a young adult. In 1980, she finally took a course in stained glass production, and has been engaged with glass ever since.
Along the way, she became interested in kiln-formed glass – a medium she prefers for the unique challenges it offers.
“Some pieces come out of the kiln as expected, others are happy accidents, while others are accidents waiting to be redeemed,” she explains. Her kiln glassworks include pendants, bowls, plates, and free-hand designs.
Beth and Ken Bowser, 1995
Both artists are moved by past travels to Western Europe, Russia, and the Southern Hemisphere. The unimaginable richness of the art in churches and museums that they viewed, and visual images they brought back have inspired and served as a reference point.
The pandemic has offered the couple freedom to experiment and expand. Ken relished the opportunity it allowed for Beth to observe and critique his work.
“It’s always helpful to have the eyes and thinking of another person when they look at your work – somebody else’s looking at and reacting is always helpful.”
As before, Ken is stimulated by his surroundings, the people and landscapes of which are the subject matter of his canvases. And he finds value in the weekly Studio Alive workshops at The Bascom, where he can draw from live models and interact with fellow artists.
For Beth, these past 15 months have seen an explosion of production and a chance to focus on working in new methods of kiln-fired glass, including glass sculpture and pressed glass. The pandemic has stirred a feeling of the fragility of life. As Ken so wisely said, “The pandemic brings one face-to-face … mutual trust, a shared with the reality of life; it’s a very wonderful gift that can ministry, and separate bank accounts. be gone in just a moment.” Theirs is a story of a remarkable and long partnership. The success of which Beth attributes to “mutual trust, a shared ministry, and separate bank accounts.” Beth and Ken’s art is available for purchase at the The Bascom gift shop in Highlands (thebascom.org), or viewings may be scheduled by emailing Beth at Bethb272@gmail.com, and Ken at Kennethbowser6@gmail.com. by Marlene Osteen
Healing with Healthy Heat
Infrared heat does a lot more than make you feel toasty.
Imagine for a moment, a life that is healthy and whole.
A life where the mind and body work together to support one another and thrive. It sounds wonderful, but the reality is that a lot of people are experiencing some level of physical or mental imbalance and are seeking a variety of alternative approaches to become whole again.
One such approach is using healthy heat from an infrared sauna, specifically a Sunlighten Sauna.
Although saunas have been popular for centuries, they are not often thought of for treatments in traditional medicine.
Traditionally, saunas have been unbearably hot, steamy rooms in which breathing can be difficult. But the saunas of today have technologically evolved from the harsh, 200+-degee rooms they originated from to a soothing, healthy heat.
Sunlighten Infrared Technology brings forth a therapeutic treatment that is not only relaxing but also clinically shown beneficial for your health. These saunas also help eliminate toxins, further supporting the healing process.
Infrared wavelengths are the invisible part of the sun’s spectrum consisting of near (NIR), mid (MIR) and far (FIR) rays. These rays have the ability to penetrate human tissue. This characteristic makes infrared beneficial because it heats the body directly at the core rather than simply warming the air resulting in a deep, detoxifying sweat at the cellular level, where the majority of toxins reside.
Some of the health benefits include: 1. Detoxification: a Sunlighten sauna generates a sweat 7x more detoxifying than a traditional sauna. 2. Relaxation: designed to encourage the purest form of relaxation and stress-reduction.
3. Weight Loss: an infrared sauna session can burn up to 600 calories. Sunlighten saunas showed a reduction in belly fat in just 3 months. 4. Heart Health: the SoloCarbon heaters have been clinically shown to reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. 5. Pain Relief: therapeutic benefits to back, neck, and arthritis pain from continuous use of infrared therapy. 6. Anti-Aging: the skin’s appearance improves as pores open from the deeper sweat induced by the infrared therapy. 7. Muscle Recovery: naturally increases circulation, helping your muscles get the oxygen and nutrients it needs. 8. Cell Health/Immunity: stay healthy with the natural, preventative properties of our exclusive LED near infrared heating technology, which aids in cell health and overall immunity defense. 9. Wound Healing: the advanced LED near infrared technology has the unique ability to heal wounds faster and minimalize scarring.
Infrared heat is safe and healthy for all living things but, like with anything, moderation is key. You can be exposed to infrared light for hours without the risk of burning because infrared is a naturally occurring output of the sun but does not contain the harmful UV rays associated with unprotected sunlight. This alternate approach to becoming healthy and whole will be available locally!
Cashiers Valley Fusion Yoga and Wellness is excited to be offering the Sunlighten Infrared Sauna beginning this summer as one of their holistic treatments for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. More details can be found at cashiersvalleyfusion.com.
by Mary Abrany. Mary is the owner of Fusion Yoga & Wellness in Cashiers and a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. She is committed to helping others achieve their goals and works to bring more positivity to the world one person at a time.
Living Life Together
Let’s not lose those common sense health practices that we cultivated during the long Covid season.
How do we move forward from a pandemic? Covid-19 has been part of our lives for over a year now!
It’s like a great relationship gone bad…We are now facing a society with new norms, some who have had the vaccine and some who have not. Whether we do or don’t, we must realize that contamination and contraction of the virus is still a major concern!
Although the vaccine is available and many have had it, it is still not preventing the transmission of the virus. Yes, it certainly helps those who are exposed to it, some get it still, but the symptoms are much less serious. Those who carry it can still spread it, to those who have the vaccine and those who don’t.
What am I getting at?
In my office, as a chiropractic physician in North Carolina, we are still mandated by our state association to require masks at all times while inside the office. This may change after the publication of this article, but for now it stands.
I have already noticed that the prevalence of “common” colds and viruses are emerging in our very small town. We have had patients report that they have a stomach virus, common cold and bronchitis as well as a few that have contracted Covid even though they were vaccinated. All of this points to the fact that we still need to be prudent with our choices to socialize, go out to eat, and gather in large numbers. I am a firm believer that hygiene and good immune function is the key to less spread of any disease or sickness.
Now, as a small town, part of a large society, we are stumbling forward in hopes of finding a new normal and a small semblance of our “former” lives.
Just like the path toward good health and longevity, we still must err on the side of caution and think before we act and speak.
Illness, unfortunately, is rampant in many different forms. We did a great job so far in pushing the Covid pandemic down to a much smaller footprint,so let’s continue to be mindful, diligent and caring when it comes to the journey that we have found ourselves on- be healthy, stay the course, love one another and live a long and fruitful life – Together!
by Dr. Sue Aery Aery Chiropractic & Acupuncture
ACCOMMODATIONS ACCOMMODATIONS
BEAUTY
CLEANING CABINETRY
CONSTRUCTION BEAUTY
CLEANING
HOME MONITORING
HOME DECOR LAWN AND GARDEN PICTURE FRAMING
PRINTING
REAL ESTATE REAL ESTATE
ROOFING REAL ESTATE
GIVING BACK
Pages 202-211
photo by Susan Renfro
The Zen of Life
Nicole Taylor and Natalie Owens after exercising Mercedes and Izzy.
There’s nothing sleepy about life on the farm.
Many of our readers have heard me say that daily chores of life on the farm are very Zen – Chop Wood, Carry Water.
Tending to the horses, dogs, cats, birds and all of nature allows us to maintain a rhythm of sameness.
Time and time again guests to the farm will say, “How lucky you are to get to ride horses whenever you want.”
Fact is, that’s not the case at all. Riding the horses is way down on the list of things to do. Their care and well-being is the top priority, and those who haven’t lived the joy of farm life see all of this through different eyes.
Allow me to share a typical “Day in the Life” of the farm.
For me and those who joyfully and faithfully work and volunteer here daily, it’s a well-greased machine. I’m up at 6:00 most days to greet the morning, walk the dogs, feed dogs, cats, birds, and occasionally myself, all before getting ready to head to the stables. Horses are fed at 8:00. In the summer they spend the nights outside with access to the arena and several paddocks. Watchful eyes examine each horse as they come into the stables for breakfast – watching for any signs of injuries. Each receives their ration of oats and supplements. (This same process occurs at lunch and dinner.)
They receive any meds, body work, special treatments and grooming. Fly masks on and sprayed, they head out to the fields for morning grazing and work begins. That means cleaning stalls, fields, arena and paddocks of any manure for fly management. The herd of eight averages 450 pounds of manure a day! We compost and sell “Promising Results,” to help with expenses!
Meals are made for the rest of the day and water buckets and troughs are cleaned. Hay is soaked for two hours to remove excess sugar. At noon they return for lunch and if we aren’t fixing fences and mowing fields we may get to lunge a few and maybe get in the saddle. Dinner is at 3:30 and they are back out for the night!
It’s all a labor of love for the eight remaining horses who have given so much to our participants over the course of 25 years, “Exploring the Human Potential Through Equines.”
Carpe Diem Farms is a 501(c)(3) experiential education foundation.
by Sue Blair, Carpe Diem Farms
Literacy & Learning
A pair of Summer Camps will ensure that The Literacy & Learning Center will continue to teach and inspire, even when school’s out. The center is located at 675 South 4th Street in Highlands. For more information, call (828) 526-0863 or visit maconncliteracy.org.
There are many things students can do to keep learning all summer while they aren’t going to school. Studies have shown that reading and doing other stimulating activities for the brain can improve a child’s test scores and overall learning experience in the long run.
The Literacy & Learning Center will provide many enriching activities over the summer for students, even if you have not enrolled your child in our programs before!
TL&LC will be hosting educational summer camps in July for grades kindergarten through sixth grade. There are two camps available, the first will be Space Camp, and students will engage in fun and educational activities learning about outer space.
The second camp is Nature Camp, where TL&LC is teaming up with The HighlandsCashiers Land Trust to help students learn about the plants, animals, and minerals in the environment around them.
TL&LC will also be providing individual tutoring throughout the summer. Individual tutoring offers a learning experience that is catered to the student’s specific needs. Students can use this resource to work with a volunteer on reading, math, or any other subject they need extra help with.
The Literacy & Learning Center is dedicated to providing quality educational support for students of all ages, even when they aren’t in school. To find out more about TL&LC’s summer programs, call (828) 526-0863 or visit maconncliteracy.org.
by Jenni Edwards The Literacy and Learning Center
Save a Friend, Donate
Despite an unprecedented streak of adoptions, the fallout from the Covid crisis continues to reverberate with the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society’s bottom line.
All of us at the Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society wish to express our sincere thanks to the amazing folks who have come forward to adopt and foster a shelter pet during the first half of 2021. We have a remarkable streak (which began in February 2014) of 88 consecutive months with 20 adoptions or more, and adoptions so far this year are above the record-setting pace we experienced a year ago.
The number of adoptions is the good news, but we still need a great deal of financial help to get through these tough times and we would appreciate any assistance you can provide. Normally at this time of year we would be applying the proceeds from our June fundraiser – Pawsitively Purrfect Party – towards our lifesaving mission. Although the lessening of COVID-19 restrictions will now allow us to host our annual August fundraiser Bark, Beer, and Barbeque (which we are very thankful for!), having to cancel Pawsitively Purrfect Party resulted in an approximate loss of 25% of our annual revenue.
We would be very thankful for financial donations of any amount to help continue our 34 years of work on behalf of animals in need in our community. There are three ways to make a tax-deductible financial gift: 1. Online via our website chhumanesociety.org (look for the red “Donate” button on the top right of the homepage); 2. Charge a donation to your credit card by calling us at (828) 743-5752 or; 3. Send your check to our mailing address at: CHHS, P.O. Box 638, Cashiers, NC 28717.
We sincerely thank you for your kindness, compassion and support.
Established in 1987, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization located at 200 Gable Drive in Sapphire, 1 ½ miles east of the Cashiers Ingles in between Cedar Creek Club and Lonesome Valley on Highway 64. Visit us online at www.chhumanesociety.org. Tax-deductible donations to support our lifesaving work can be mailed to: CHHS, P.O. Box 638, Cashiers, NC 28717.
by David Stroud, Cashiers-Highlands Humane Society
Cashiers Cares Delivers
Even in the midst of a global lockdown, Cashiers Cares has still managed to support nine local agencies. Donations and memorials may be made throughout the year and may be mailed to Cashiers Cares, Inc., P.O. Box 1072, Cashiers, NC 28717.
Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic lockdown, Cashiers Cares has distributed $70,580 from the 2020 Annual Campaign to the nine agencies it supports. “We worried that the Covid restrictions would seriously impact us,” Chairman Pam Kerr explained. “For example, Cashiers Cares traditionally hosts the Hot Dog Lunch at the Community Center following the Christmas Parade, which helps generate community awareness and financial support each year.”
This year the group’s fundraising was limited to a letter-writing campaign, with a big boost from the efforts of the Trillium Families Care organization, which alone raised more than $32,000. The Trillium Club’s support was instrumental in Cashiers Cares’ efforts to maintain the community’s lifelines during a difficult year.
The agencies supported by Cashiers Cares are: AWAKE, which serves children and others who are victims of abuse; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cashiers/Highlands, which teams mentors with children; and Blue Ridge Free Dental Clinic, which serves low-income residents needing dental care.
Also supported by Cashiers Cares is the free Community Care Clinic of Highlands-Cashiers, which provides medical care and prescriptions to those in need; Fishes & Loaves, which supplies food to those who fall below the poverty level; and Four Seasons, which is devoted to palliative care for end-of-life residents. Literacy Council of Cashiers, which offers tutoring as well as free books to emerging readers and their families, is another recipient of Cashiers Cares funding.
Additionally, SAFE, a shelter for victims of domestic violence, and United Christian Ministries of Jackson County, which serves people in emergency situations, fall under the Cashiers Cares banner.
In essence, Kerr says, a contributor’s single gift can touch the lives of the youngest child to an elderly person in end of life care.
Since 2008 when Cashiers Cares launched its mission to support the unmet needs of Cashiers and Southern Jackson County residents, more than $400,000 has been distributed. The allvolunteer organization operates with little overhead in order to return to the community nearly every dollar raised. Church of the Good Shepherd, St. Jude’s Catholic Church and Cashiers United Methodist Church have provided underwriting support since the organization’s inception.
Donations and memorials may be made throughout the year and may be mailed to Cashiers Cares, Inc., P.O. Box 1072, Cashiers, NC 28717.
by Luke Osteen
