All About Women June 2016 by Mountain Times Publications

All About

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Janet Speer ‘Impresario of the High Country’

June 2016

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‘Don’t wait for things to get easier, simpler, better. Life will always be complicated. Learn to be happy right now. Otherwise, you’ll run out of time.’ - unknown

publisher Gene Fowler

executive editor Tom Mayer

editor Sherrie Norris sherrie@aawmag.com 828.264.3612, ext. 4051

writers Emily Apple Caroline Bond Heather Brandon Sharon Carlton Bonnie Church Yogi Collins Matt Debnam Jeff Eason Marion Edwards Erika Giovanetti Hollie Greene Erik Hoffman Heather Jordan Mary McKinney Garrett Price Sue Spirit

production & design Meleah Bryan Marianne Lawrence Kristin Obiso

advertising Rick Tobin 828.773.0406

cover photo by Sherrie Norris

Photo by Sherrie Norris

contents women in the news patricia beaver danielle ragan mom’s world ruth curtis young at heart travel living well beth zagst marriage and family corner makeup beauty hacks janet speer high country courtesies ﬁghting for life by the book along for the ride fashion teachers of the year children’s council women’s fund joining forces to do good recipes

janet speer

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editor’s note I marvel at the reality that my grandson, Noah Warren Norris, is just days from his first birthday. Since the day of his arrival, my life — and that of his parents and other grandparents — has never been the same. My heart, as well as my eyes, have opened wider to feel and to see things in a way I never before imagined. I have discovered a different kind of love that I can’t quite explain, and what’s more, I better understand that “silly” phrase that we‘ve heard over and over again — that we should’ve had our grandchildren first. I never understood that before, but I do now. Had it been possible to do the “grand”parenting thing first, I would’ve been a better mother to my son. I had just one shot at mothering — and I blew it on more than one occasion. Too many to count, in fact. I wanted my child to be perfect. I hovered over him like the not-so-proverbial mother hen. I was determined to protect him from all harm, evil and danger. But, I couldn’t protect him from me. I remember his first week away at camp. I cried and I cried — even before the church bus pulled out of the parking lot. How embarrassed he must’ve been. I missed him terribly. Of course, he had no way of knowing the impact that losing my brother and mother had on my life before he was born. It might have helped him understand my tremendous fear that everything good in my life would be taken away too soon. I was so worried — and still am — that I would lose my precious son. He returned home safely the following Saturday. About an hour later, we were rushing him to the emergency room. He had wrecked his dirt bike and had a serious leg injury. It was a not-so-subtle message to me that God had kept him safe for the week, but look what happened after an hour back in my custody. So much for being in control. As Garrett was growing up, I wanted my formal living room and dining room to stay perfect — and it did, except for Christmas and a few other special occasions. And only then, for limited periods of time and the “mess” had to be cleaned up immediately. I wanted everything in his bedroom to be in its place at all times, but it was OK, most of the time, to leave his toys out in the downstairs play area. While I was not one of those loud, embarrassing parents in the stands at the ball field, I do remember (with red face and nausea as I write) the times I chastened him on the way home for missing the catch or not hitting the ball. Didn’t he feel bad enough, already? I remember yelling at him from the yard to “Get home right this minute.” I’m sure, more times than not, our won-

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derful neighbors down the hill rolled their eyes at the crazy pre-menopausal woman up the hill. Garrett was a great child and has turned into a wonderful young man, husband, father and public servant of which I am extremely proud. And, life goes on. I cannot imagine raising my voice at his son. It probably will happen, but right now, all I can see is pure delight when I look at the little guy who can do no wrong. Who cares if he mashes his soggy, half-eaten cookie onto my Persian handwoven rug? Not me. What about when he throws his sippy cup, full of milk, onto my just-waxed ﬂoor? Doesn’t faze me one bit. Slobber on my shirt? Just a sign of his love for me. Run his little hand down my lips that I just painted red? Oh, how cute! So, Garrett, I guess you paid the price. You were born ﬁrst. I cherish every breath you breathe and I always will. I just hope you forgive my mothering mess-ups. But, one thing for sure — you can count on me not making the same mistakes with your son. Nana I am,

WOMENINTHENEWS Senior women honored with Celebration of Life Awards Four local women were among those seniors honored during the 14th annual Adult Services Expo May 6 at Boone Mall. Receiving the 2016 Celebration of Living Awards include the following: Facility Resident of the Year: Patty Norris, a three-year resident of Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living is described as a friend to everyone, genuine, caring person, an all- around great person who is loved by staff and residents. She exemplifies fairness, kindness and overall good attitude in all that she does. She is there for other residents when they need an ear or a shoulder to cry on; she shares her Bible with anyone who wants to hear it, she gives many hugs, cracks jokes and shares many smiles. Centenarian of the Year: Hazel Tate, at 100, has been a resident of Glenbridge Healthcare and Rehabilitation for the last three years. According to Mary Robinson, facility activities director, “Hazel takes great pride in her appearance and is always dressed for success.” A former dental assistant, Mary enjoys attending church and music activities and is a pleasant person to be around. Senior-most Centenarian of the Year: Lucy Greene Winebarger as 103, has been a great example to her family and community, described as a hardworking matriarch of five generations. Winebarger was 35 and had eight children with another on the way when her husband died tragically at 42. Raising her children alone, she always put the needs of her family before her own. Never one to give up, Winebarger is described as one who has been able to meet life’s challenges successfully through her faith, hard work, positive attitude and a great sense of humor. Caregiver of the Year: “Patsy Pennell provides 24-hour total care for her spouse of 48 years who suffers from Alzheimer’s related dementia,” says Kathy Hampton, in-home aid who helps her one day a week. “She gives selflessly of her time and compassion with very little assistance and works hard to see that his needs are met on a daily basis.” Patsy considers her job as a labor of love. A caregiver for others for many years, Pennell said she just tries to do the best she can, taking care of her husband, her home, yard and garden.

Patty Norris

Hazel Tate

Lucy Greene Winebarger

Patsy Pennell

Hosted annually by the Adult Services Coalition of Watauga County — which includes the Watauga County Project on Aging and the Watauga County Department of Social Services and other local agencies — the expo serves to heighten community awareness of available services to seniors, to identify and address needed unavailable services and to develop a networking system for citizens and agencies in the community.

Garden Club members contribute to gardens Blue Ridge Garden Club of Boone commemorated National Arbor Day by donating and planting a tree in the Daniel Boone Native Gardens in Boone. The Arbor Day tradition has become a nationwide day of remembrance for loved ones who have passed away by planting a tree in their honor. This year’s ceremony

took place at the Daniel Boone Native Gardens on April 20. A remembrance ceremony was held with a reading of names and poetry recitation by Janet Stout, president of Blue Ridge Garden Club. Names of remembrance read aloud were George Houghtaling Parham, Joe Hutchins, Martha Dixon, Reva Lee Sim-

mons Sites, Reid Bryant Huffman, Jennie Brooks, Dena Spencer and Buck Barden. Blue Ridge Garden Club members present were Marianne Sugg, Doris Ratchford, Kathleen Cassini, Janice LaCapra, Dianne Dougherty, Lee Gallien and Janet Stout. Also attending for Daniel Boone Native Gardens was Teresa Pearman. AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

Patricia D. Beaver has received the 2016 Western North Carolina Historical Association award for

Patricia Beaver honored at ASU 8

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outstanding achievement, an annual award that recognize the significant contributions of both individuals and organizations in preserving and promoting the history of the Appalachian mountain region. Appalachian State University professor emerita Patricia was honored with a reception April 15 in Appalachian’s Living Learning Center’s Great Hall. “Dr. Beaver is a most deserving recipient and WNCHA is pleased to help recognize her impressive contribution to the study of Appalachia and mountain regions around the world,” says Bill Lineberry, a member of the WNCHA program committee. Patricia has worked as an anthropologist in mountain communities from Western North Carolina to China and Wales, researching the influences of gender, class and ethnicity on social structure. She received her bachelor’s degree and doctorate in anthropology from Duke University. During her time at Appalachian, she served as chairwoman of the Department of Anthropology, director of the Asian Studies program and director for the Center for Appalachian Studies. She also served as an associate editor for the NWSA Journal published by the National Women’s Studies Association, as vice president of the Council on Appalachian Women and as president of the Appalachian Studies Association and the Southern Anthropological Society. She wrote or edited nine books and many articles and was project director of the groundbreaking federal Appalachian Land Ownership Study published in 1983, which detailed the overwhelming amount of absentee land ownership across Appalachia. She also served as an adviser on the documentary film project “After Coal,” one of the first initiatives to draw parallels between Appalachia and other mountain regions around the world. The film premieres in the U.S. and United Kingdom this spring. In 1995, Patricia was appointed to Appalachian’s Academy of Outstanding Teachers. Among her many awards are the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award from the Western North Carolina Historical Association in 1986. She directed the Center for Appalachian Studies at Appalachian for two decades, until her retirement in 2013. She and her husband Bob While live in Ashe County. They have two children and two grandchildren.

Danielle Ragan A Happy, Colorful Original As a child, Danielle Ragan of Boone won every coloring contest she entered. “I think it was the color combinations I used,” she explains. “My mom said, ‘This is going to be your thing one day.’” Mom was right. Although Danielle earned a degree in criminal justice from Wilkes Community College with the goal of becoming a probation officer, she recognized art as her passion; she subsequently took a job in the housekeeping department at Appalachian State University that allows her to support herself while establishing her art business. “I realized I’m not going to be happy in life unless I’m being creative,” Danielle says. “That’s why I like cleaning classrooms at ASU. I get to just put in my music and get my stuff done and no stress. It’s my income and my insurance, but art is who I am and what I want to actually make a career out of.” Among the ﬁrst things you notice about Danielle’s art are the happy colors and the ways she combines them. “My style is just bright and happy,” she explains, “anything that I think will make people smile. I think my work catches people’s attention because of the color. I wouldn’t say I have a particular style, I just paint what inspires me and I paint my outlook on it.” But what about when what appears on the canvas doesn’t look the way you envisioned it? “I call those beautiful mistakes,” she says. “Sometimes I’ll start a piece and halfway through I’ll think it’s just awful, but I just keep tweaking it and I’ll be really happy with the outcome. You have to be willing to make mistakes in art, because they can turn out really awesome, sometimes.” Ultimately, Danielle would like to open an art shop where she offers painting parties and classes. Meanwhile, she sells her art under the name Ragan’s Originals on her Facebook and Etsy pages, as well as in High Country Jewelry on Howard Street. “I started my Etsy account last year,”

she says. “I only started selling my art a couple of years ago after I did a lion painting called ‘Warrior’ and posted it on Facebook. I ended up selling eight of those, and thought, ‘Wow, I could actually start selling my art.’” And sell it, she has. Danielle has found it exciting to receive orders from around the world via the Internet, but not because she’s being paid. “Being an artist isn’t about making money,” she explains. “It’s great to get paid for your passion, but being an artist is a means of emotional survival. Because I’ve never had money, I try to keep everything very reasonably priced. I try to take that into consideration. Even if I’m charging less, I feel like I’m affecting more people’s lives with my art. Having a legacy means more to me than money.” Danielle’s conﬁdence to pursue her dream grew when she began feeling better about herself as she lost 130 pounds over the past three years. “I was so down on myself before that, I didn’t think I

could do anything that I set my mind to,” she says. “But, I’ve started to love myself more and I feel like the sky is the limit now — like I really can do anything that I set my mind to. It was hard to deal with people looking at me differently once I lost weight. I came to the realization that I wasn’t the problem — they were the problem. With my art, I feel like I’m respected for who I am, not the way I look. That’s why I love my art even more.” With a two-month client wait list, clearly her art resonates with people. And why wouldn’t it? It’s happy, colorful and inspiring, just like Danielle herself. Check out Ragan’s Originals in person at High Country Jewelry in Boone and online on Facebook and Etsy.

Yozette ‘Yogi’ Collins Mom, television producer/writer, and obsessive internet researcher. Though her name suggests otherwise, she is not (yet) an actual yogi.

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mom’sworld

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

As a parent, 10 years are like dog years. In some ways, experience seems to compound exponentially as our children grow, and yet, sometimes it feels like I’m as inexperienced as the day I brought my first son home from the hospital. Just when I feel an iota of confidence that I have figured out how to parcel out my time, relate to my 12-year-old, let go of constant contact with my eldest or engage my youngest in reading, I have a day where I feel as ill-equipped to cope with my children’s needs as the random parking garage attendant. As my oldest son prepares to graduate high school and turn 18, my mind gets nostalgic and overwhelmed at the same time. I have traded looking through books from the local library’s used book sale on how to parent a difficult child or help a poor sleeper, for searching Google for info about “when your student procrastinates or loses motivation.” I contemplate how my day-to-day experience has changed as a parent over the years, and feel certain that the blessings of parenthood are always paired with heartbreaking challenges that every parent faces. I think mothers, in particular, are vulnerable to that longing to allow our children to try and fail, to squeeze tighter in an embrace as we say goodbye, to hunt for validation in our daily interactions — and to worry endlessly over outcomes with our children and the 10

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choices that they make or the situations in which they find themselves. When my kids were infants, let’s face it, I was fixated on survival. Most of my world focused on nursing, catching sleep when I could — and when my child had last pooped. Those of you who have ever had a colicky baby know the relief that can come when the gas and grunting stop and they finally fill a diaper. While I do believe that personalities shine through quite early in babies and toddlers, negotiations seem generally concrete and straightforward, as in when they must take a bath or go to bed. Tantrums occurred. I learned that consistency goes a long way and discipline comes about in many forms. When school age came along, suddenly my world as a mom became about school activities, friends and sports. Having mastered potty training, sharing family meals (most of the time) and nighttime routines, the emphasis shifted to how many activities could we accomplish in one day or weekend. Julie, the cruise director, comes back to mind for those readers who are old enough to remember, and the inevitable question of “Well, are we going to do anything else fun,” usually after the previous three hours had been spent with careful attention to some activity with said child who was asking. At first, I would try to acquiesce and proceed with yet more hours of fun time, but then time passed and I learned that I had to strike the balance between required chores and the fun factor. Homework is, of course, a constant presence during these years, although I must admit my husband is usually the one to assist the kids after school with their assignments. There is continuous running around to school, scouts, practice, friends’ houses and other activities. Life feels nonstop with full calendars and increasing commitments of our children. Complexities of relationships with other kids, other parents and within the family start to arise, and I wade my way through. I have talked about emotional differences in girls and boys and seen tears and anger in response to an undesired word, gesture or attitude. I have struggled with how to make each of my children feel important and loved, even when,

‘

sometimes, one requires more immediate attention than the others. In grade school and even middle school, it sometimes feels like my motherhood capabilities are charted with hash marks on a chalkboard for what speciﬁcally I have done or what I have allowed the kids to do. Now, I stand mouth agape that my oldest son is about to complete his primary schooling with college around the corner. After navigating the college application process, scholarship applications, acceptances, rejections and decisions, I note the increasing frequency of adult conversations with my almost-adult child and hear myself — 20-some years ago — in a different voice. And I smile. We ponder politics, religion, music and the world. I play my Americana, bluegrass, folk, Grateful Dead, Phish and rock from yesteryears, while he plays me some death metal, punk and dueling cellos. He is defensive at times — warning me against too many comparisons to what I recall from that age, arguing a point eloquently and sharply. I push forward, then pull back, and he does the same. It’s a dance now, he and I. We can’t tell anymore who is leading or following. Emotional being that I am, I cry because he is, at times, cynical, opinionated and independent. I cry at his accomplishments and his dreams of what he hopes to yet do. Then, I cry when his fragility and vulnerability are brought to the surface, raw and needy. I let go and cling. He draws lines between us, then smudges them. My pride and fears waltz together, not quite in step with each other. But in the end, I take a big breath and get satisfaction from the full circle of parenting. My parents continue to lead me and let me make my own mistakes. They are compassionate and loving, ever-present when I feel I have failed as a mother in some minutia of the day or some major consequence of the years. They are phenomenal listeners and wise advisors. They have let me dance to my own drum in my life independently and as a parent, but they always seem to have

I push forward, then pull back, and he does the same. It’s a dance now, he and I. We can’t tell anymore who is leading or following.

’

- Heather Jordan

the right beat. Ultimately, as I look at my three children and philosophize on the future, I hope I can do the same. heather jordan, CNM, MSN Comments or questions? 828.737.7711, ext. 253 landh@localnet.com

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828.963.8233 www.apphomecare.com AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

‘To not fight is to give up’ Cancer survivors anticipate 2016 Relay for Life

Cancer survivors Ruth Curtis, at right, and her daughter Wendy Curtis Broderick, advocate for Relay for Life and refuse to give up hoping that a cure for cancer will be found. Photo by Sherrie Norris

Ruth Curtis of Boone is no stranger to cancer, all the more reason she actively participates in Relay for Life. “Cancer affects us all,” Ruth says, acknowledging that she, along with her daughter, father, brother, two aunts, one uncle and many friends, have become statistics. In the summer of 1990, Ruth was diagnosed with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the tonsils. Her daughter Wendy was ready to enter sixth grade and, as a single parent, Ruth’s fears were very real. “I didn’t want to leave my daughter without a mother,” she recalls. She learned a lot in that year. “I watched other patients and saw many giving up, letting depression and anger — along with the cancer — eat them up,” she says. “ I realized that my ﬁght had to be strong, not just for me, but for my 12

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daughter’s sake.” It was not an easy journey, Ruth admits While hiding a lot of her pain and fears to protect Wendy, it was with the loving support, help and prayers of her family, friends and church that she survived six months of chemotherapy. “After 15 years of holding my breath with every X-ray or lab draw — in the fear that the cancer would recur — I was declared cancer free and released from oncology care.” The thoughts of cancer and recurrence never really leave the back of a cancer survivor’s mind, she says, “especially in our world where almost daily you learn of someone being diagnosed, but you move into a life of busyness and just don’t think about it striking you or your family — especially a second time or a third, or more, but it can and does.”

Life interrupted, again Fast-forward 23 years to February 2013. “Wendy and I were enjoying life with a beautiful 1-year-old daughter/ granddaughter when cancer struck our family again,” Ruth shares. “Wendy was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkins Lymphoma. Chest pain prompted a visit to the ER, during which an X-ray revealed a mass behind her sternum that would not have been detected in a physical exam.” Wendy ﬁnished her treatments in September 2013. “While we still were not breathing easy yet with her follow ups,” Ruth says, “life was moving on with as much normalcy as you can have after surviving cancer.” Cancer isn’t something that you want to have in common with your daughter, or anyone, Ruth stresses. “Being a cancer

survivor, I was able to better understand and help my daughter face her ﬁght, but I cannot begin to tell you how difficult it was to watch her struggle through her treatments. I said more than once that I wish I could take it away from her — not that I really wanted to go through cancer again, but so that she wouldn’t have to go through it at all. We all knew that was not possible, so we fought, again.” Again, it was faith, prayers and the support of others that carried them through a very difficult time, Ruth says. “I am so thankful and truly believe that God got us to the ER that night to ﬁnd her cancer before it was too late.”

And yet, again A year later, in October 2014, Ruth was diagnosed with cancer again, and within two weeks, had a mastectomy. “Thankfully, because of my past history with cancer and suspicious lumps, I was monitored twice a year with physical breast exams and yearly for mammograms, which meant that the tumors had been found within a six month window of time in an early stage,” she says. Because of that, Ruth encourages others to keep up with preventative health screenings and check ups. “They can and do save lives.” When she was declared cancer free years ago, Ruth said that she would never go through chemo again, that it was too hard. “We probably should never say ‘never.’ We do what we have to do to live, and if we allow him, God gives us the strength to face what we have to face.” While actively receiving her chemo treatments intravenously 11 out of 12 months last year, Ruth was told by many people that she was strong and that she was a trooper, but deep down inside, she still struggled. “I shared smiles on the outside, but there were days I didn’t want to get out of bed, and felt like crying or screaming ‘Why!’” Despite the difficulties, most days Ruth did get up. “I kept moving, working, pushing and fighting, because to not fight is to give up and then cancer wins.” There are still days in which she wonders if she made the right decision to do chemo again. “Even though the chemo is over, the fight continues — to regain energy and strength, finding I have heart damage caused by the chemo, wondering what else might pop up down the road,

and the ever present question — is this ache or pain caused by cancer returning?” “God was and is with me, my daughter and all cancer patients going through this journey,” Ruth says. “I have felt and continue to feel the prayers and am encouraged daily by kind words.” At the same time, she is trying to pay it forward “and return a very small portion of the many blessings I have received” by offering an experienced listening and understanding ear, hugs and prayers to many friends and acquaintances who are newly diagnosed and/or still ﬁghting their battles. “It seems almost daily I learn of someone new —too many and too young, in a lot of cases — right here in our own community.” However, Ruth adds, “Comparing my ﬁrst treatment in the ’90’s to now, watching my daughter’s treatment and care just a few years ago, and others currently, I know that research has come a long way in those 26 years, but there is so much more to be discovered.” Ruth is “super encouraged and excited” each time someone tells her that their tumors are no longer evident on their tests, that their chemo or radiation is completed, and that they are considered cancer free. “This means that research is working,” she says. Relying on her faith has helped her through the battle, Ruth says, with one Bible verse, especially speaking to her: Romans 12:12 (NIV) “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Ready to Relay Despite another recent setback in the spring — noncancerous this time, Ruth and Wendy are ready to relay. Ruth is growing stronger each day after discovering that her heart was not working properly and that a pacemaker/deﬁbrillator was needed. Two surgeries in three weeks did little to slow her down, but she did have to take off about three weeks from work. A self-proclaimed “very independent woman” who doesn’t like to (have to) depend on others, Ruth didn’t want to miss work — or her church handbell concert. “When I commit to something, I want to follow through, so I got permission from the doctors and was allowed to ring at our 14th annual Relay for Life (hand-

bell) concert, just six days following the second surgery — which made me very happy.” Helping to kick off what will be her 15th Relay for Life event later this month, Ruth hopes to see increased support for this year’s Watauga County Relay on June 17 at Watauga High School. “These events are a wonderful time of community support for survivors, as well as a time of reflection and memory of loved ones who have passed away,” she says. “I always mark my calendar early in the year and plan to be there for the fellowship, to meet new people, catch up with old friends, enjoy the outdoors and activities, food, games, silent auctions and yes, even walking laps around the track — and running for cover in downpours.” Ruth has much admiration for the Relay for Life committee members and teams, “who already know the importance of Relay for Life, or they wouldn’t be here,” she shares. “They spend months of planning, fundraising and preparation for our community’s Relay For Life, which is time well spent.” As a survivor, and on behalf of all cancer patients and survivors, Ruth expresses her gratitude for their willingness, “in whatever small or big way they have or will participate,” to fight cancer. “Because these events benefit American Cancer Society’s research, they, in turn benefit cancer patients and survivors, our families, friends and many others in our community. We all dream of the day when there will be easier and safer ways to treat cancer — or that it will be eradicated altogether. This is why we relay for life.” According to longtime Relay for Life advocate Brian Barker, and 2016 chairman, “Ruth is such an inspiration to me and many others.” As director of the handbell choir at First Baptist Church in Boone where Ruth is a member, he says, “She was back playing a week after her mastectomy and played throughout her entire chemotherapy treatment.”

sherrie norris Editor, All About Women

AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

youngatheart

Still Young at Heart

My first All About Women story, “Dream Shoes,” was published in June of 2007. It explored how a perfect pair of shoes could make a woman feel powerful, confident and ready to conquer the world. Empowerment — and becoming the best version of you — are topics that I have written about many times over the years, sharing my experiences and insight as I have become the woman I am today. I have communicated ideas on how to sometimes put yourself first (“Pamper Yourself: A to Z,” Oct. 2007), how to embrace the things that bring you joy (“Freedom from Guilt,” July 2009) and how to unwind and recharge when life gets complicated (“Stressed,” Aug. 2012). I have bequeathed my best advice to the next generation (“Being Fabulous,” Sept. 2014), while exploring the constant march of time (“Aging Gracefully,” May 2015). Even for the magazine, time has not stood still. I have seen writers come and go, two editors and countless changes to layout, look and word limits. As we recently realized that All About Women has been around 10-plus years, I also realized I have been composing a column for nine of those years.

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In these pages, I have marked milestones: getting braces as an adult (“I Intend to have Perfect Teeth,” Jan., 2008) and getting them off (“Voluntarily Smiling Again,” Apr. 2009), a new job (“Dive in… the Water’s Fine,” Sept. 2008), getting engaged (“The Language of Diamonds,” Mar/Apr. 2010) and married (“A Wedding Story,” Jan./Feb. 2014), to name a few. I have shared stories about the people in my life: my mother, Marion (“The Fear of Most Women,” May 2008), my second mother, Cindy (“My Other Mother,” May 2009) and my father, Paul (“Father Knows Best,” June 2013) as well as my amazing friends (“Sista Friends,” Apr. 2008 and “Circle of Friends,” June 2014). I would be remiss if I did not mention the two most important things in my life if number of references is any indication – my husband, Roger, and my favorite movie, “Star Wars.” Each has been the sole focus of two essays, as well as countless other mentions. Roger in “The Roger Experiment” (Aug. 2011) and “There’s a Song for That,” (Sept. 2015), which focused on his cooking and singing, respectively. I ﬁrst “geeked out” in “Everything I know about Love I learned from Star Wars” (Feb. 2008) and again last year

before the release of the next installment in the movie franchise, in “All I Want for Christmas is Star Wars” (Dec. 2015). Lest you think I only write about others, I have also revealed a lot of my quirky self. I have admitted to my love of cats (“Confessions of a Crazy Cat Lady,” Aug. 2008), the television show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (“Steaks vs. Stakes,” Dec. 2008), all things zombie (“Brain Chomping Fun,” Oct. 2010) and shaking my booty (“Dancing Queen,” Jan./Feb. 2013). I have also penned pieces about keeping said booty in shape; exercise has been a regular topic. Yoga was the focus of “Here I Go Again” (Jan./Feb. 2010), disc golf in “Adventures in Disc Golﬁng” (July 2012) and swimming, in “Sink or Swim “(July 2013). And then, there was one of my favorite essays, “Why I Exercise: A Candid Conversation” (Jan./Feb. 2015) where I disclosed an honest dialogue between myself and my work buddy, Lisa Fulk, about exercise, its challenges and beneﬁts. Health, beauty and fashion have all been common topics. Notably, when I wrote about having a bad mole excised for National Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month in “Scarred for Life”

(May 2014), my obsession with beauty products in “Confessions of a Product Junkie” (Oct. 2015) and my frustration with finding properly fitting jeans in “Bad Jeans” (April 2014). I am in no way suggesting that my denim difficulties are in any way to connected to my love of cuisine; however, I will admit that my musings frequently focus on food. “Regular Food” (Sept. 2012) and “Food Memories” (Nov. 2014) are two of my favorites, both featuring funny exchanges with my father-in-law, Allen. And, then there is travel – perhaps my most prolific theme with 12 articles. I have enjoyed taking my readers with me as I visited destinations both close to home and abroad. We have explored North Carolina wineries (“Tasting Notes,” July 2011 and “A Good Year,” Sept. 2011) and the Kentucky Bourbon trail, (“The American Spirit,” March 2012). We have visited New York City twice (“Tasting New York,” May/June 2010, and “And, Now for Something Completely Different,” July 2015). Together, we have traveled to Colorado (“Sampling Colorado,” Sept. 2011), California (“California Dreaming:” Part One and Two, July and Aug. 2014) and Costa Rica (“Pura Vida,” 2016). And, the Caribbean — my honeymoon in St. Kitts in “The Clock Keeps Ticking the Days Away” (Jan./Feb. 2011) — and one of my favorite destinations, Aruba, in “Travel Advisory” (March 2013). Finally, we have had a few laughs over the years. I am most proud of being known as a humor writer — life is funny and I enjoy being part of the joke. I discussed running into doors, not metaphorical doors, but actual doors, in “Great Moments of Stupidity” (Nov. 2009). We puzzled over the often ridiculous English language in “Lost in Translation” (Mar. 2011). And, I admitted to mistyping panty instead of pantry in “Unfortunate Typos” (Nov. 2012). As All About Women turned 10, and I conclude my 99th column, all I can say is that I have enjoyed the journey so far. Congratulations on 10 years, and cheers to the next 10.

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Travel

Leaving a

heartprint

in the world Mary Oliver, my favorite contemporary nature-oriented poet, ends her poem, “The Summer Day,” with the provocative line, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” This line has haunted me for years — and leaves me wondering how I could make a difference in the world, maybe leave a footprint somewhere. My wild life? A life of daring to go off the beaten path and become involved in some truly unique endeavors. My precious life? How about spending it in ways that feel so special and new?

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

Following is what I can or could do, and maybe what you could, as well:

Read widely to be in touch with needs around the world. My reading consists mostly of nonﬁction and memoir about Third-and FourthWorld countries. Recently, I’ve read “Find Me Unafraid,” by Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner. Jessica traveled to Kenya to volunteer in Kibera, one of Nairobi’s poorest slums, and met and eventually married Kennedy, the area’s prime mover

and shaker. Together, they have initiated a school for girls and many, many other projects. I’ve also read the gripping “City of Thorns” by Ben Rawlence, about 10 residents of Dadaab, the sprawling, sad, long-term Somali refugee camp just inside the Kenyan border.

Write to change the world. You could be a writer. You could write a blog or articles for newspapers, newsletters or magazines. Publications everywhere are looking for interesting stories

about people who make a difference in the world. Keep notebooks and travel journals and record fascinating happenings. Mary Pipher even has a book, “Writing to Change the World!”

Keep notebooks about the needs of places in the world. The notebook I keep is about the 54 countries in Africa. It is jam-packed with fascinating book reviews, portraits and adventures: A woman named Peggy from Washington D.C., whose African roots led her to become King Peggy of the Otuam region in Ghana. A project called “Wine to Water,” born in Boone, which digs wells in Sudan and other African countries; stories of healing from the horrible Rwandan genocide of the 90s; sad accounts of terrorists destroying ancient libraries in Timbuktu, Mali, and so much more.

Take on a special project, a Satisfying way to leave a footprint. Overseas Adventure Travel, the small group my traveling companion and I favor, provides many opportunities. Children in a rural Kenyan elementary school, graduating from the sixth grade, were promoted to seventh grade at a new school several miles away. Two OAT travelers decided to use the tips from their dog-grooming business to buy each child a bicycle, to cut down on his or her travel time to school. Not only did they promise each current sixth-grader a bike, but also bikes for members of every succeeding class. One OAT traveler bought a couple dozen pairs of dollar-store reading glasses and took them along to Tanzania to offer to women and men who needed them. It was such a simple idea and hard to believe that no one had thought of it sooner. The glasses were a sensation. People could see again! For $24, she was able to make a difference in 24 people’s lives. In some cases, they were able to return to the work they had done before their eyesight had failed. Now, she takes glasses on every trip to Third-World countries.

Create spaces for empowering others. Get good at buttonhole talks — tiny speeches that last about a minute — and tout one or more of the projects in the world that you are supporting and that you’re hoping your friends could get interested in. Work on the idea of being a speaker or a storyteller. Offer your services to present motivational programs to church groups or community organizations, to talk about leaving positive footprints in the world.

Al Abdullah, Queen Consort of Jordan, came back to me: “Educate a girl and you change the future.” Sponsoring a girl in school is not so much leaving a footprint in the world, says my friend Patti, as leaving a heartprint. All of this leaves me musing again on Mary Oliver’s words: “When it’s over, I don’t want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular and real. I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.”

Go with your heart. Shahla Ettefagh, founder and director of Mother Miracle School in Rishikesh, India, had already captured my heart with her impressive program of education for destitute children — from tiny tots to teenagers learning computer skills, homemaking arts and vocational training. My friend Mike had met Shahla while on a yoga retreat, and had fallen in step with her, befriending a whole gang of boys at the school. Before I knew it, I was helping to support the school and dreaming of making a trip there. Then, Shahla called. “A very deserving 8-year-old girl needs a sponsor so she can come to our school. Her name is Kalpana Kaintura,” she said. I had never been especially interested in sponsoring a school child, but something spoke to me. The words of Rania

sue spirit Writes poetry and essays about nature, spirituality, writing, and travel. She has a little cabin in the mountains. degreesoffreedom@frontier.com

AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

LivingWell

10 “sneaky” ways to add movement to your days

here are many reasons to move more throughout the day — and it is not just about weight loss. The good

news is you don’t have to pump iron at the gym to get your daily dose of exercise. Merely adding short bouts of movement during your day can provide significant health benefits. Take a look at some of the other great benefits of exercising: It promotes insulin efficiency, which decreases the risk of many diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. It boosts your immune system by increasing the immune substances circulating in your body. One study showed that exercise more than tripled the circulating level of cancer fighting of killer T-cells. It raises the level of high-density lipoproteins, the good cholesterol that sweeps excess cholesterol off the walls of your arteries. It helps reduce depression. A review of studies indicated that regular exercise can improve mood in people with mild to moderate depression. It also may play a supporting role in treating severe depression.

Following are 10 simple ways to add movement to your days: PICK UP YOUR PACE

TAKE THE STAIRS

Whether you are shopping in the mall or walking to the break room, walk faster. Walking faster burns more calories and strengthens your leg muscles, heart and lungs.

You have heard it many times before, but you need to be reminded. Taking the stairs is a weight-bearing exercise. It also helps to strengthen your bones.

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

USE YOUR LUNCH TIME FOR A WALK If you only have a 30-minute lunch break, bring your lunch. Spend 10 minutes eating and 20 minutes walking.

RESTORE ORDER IN YOUR HOME DAILY Dusting, doing laundry, vacuuming and washing windows equal movement. An extra hour of cleanup per week can potentially trim up to ﬁve pounds a year.

WALK OUT THE COMMERCIALS Use the breaks during your TV shows as a chance to rise from the couch, stretch and move around. Do some squats, lunges or sit-ups.

EXERCISE YOUR CALVES WHILE AT THE SINK While washing your dishes or brushing your teeth, rise up onto the balls of your feet and hold for two seconds, then sink down. Repeat 20 times.

USE YOUR TALKING TIME FOR WALKING TIME Whenever talking on the telephone, stand up, and if possible, walk or pace. Burn fat while you chew the fat.

TAKE SHOULDERTONING BREAKS THROUGHOUT THE DAY It’s simple and unobtrusive. Sit up straight with your back firmly against the back of your chair, and your feet flat on the floor, about hip-width apart. Raise your arms over your head with your palms flat and your elbows facing to the sides. Inhale and press up as if you were going to push the ceiling with your hands. Hold for 30 seconds, breathing normally. Repeat. This exercise isolates and strengthens your shoulder muscles.

PARK FURTHER AWAY Yes, this is another “tried and true” discipline you have heard many times be-

fore. The farther away you park, the better. Every step counts.

GO OUTSIDE AND DO SOMETHING The days are getting longer and the evenings warmer. This is a good time to get outside, take a deep breath and start moving. Pull weeds. Walk the dog. Practice your golf swing. Mulch the beds. Take a bike ride. Bottom line — move! Note: If you are being treated for a medical condition, check with your physician about an appropriate program of exercise.

bonnie church Certiﬁed Life and Wellness Coach Author/columnist, motivational speaker Certiﬁed Trainer for TLS Weight Loss Solution

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Beth Zagst the music in her bakery Below: Beth Zagst is thankful for the example of her parents, Cyndi and Ed and the work ethic they placed before her and her siblings.

Above: Family time is quality time for Beth Zagst, shown here with her husband Brandon, and their daughters, Seger and Zoey.

If you’ve only glanced at the logo for Ugga Mugga Bakery, located in Blowing Rock, you might not have noticed the trumpet that skirts its bottom. This is not an inconsequential symbol or decoration. Quite to the contrary, behind this trumpet that sits small, there is a canyon-full of passion, family, hard work and love. All of those, and many more traits of her family, the Nitowskis, culminate in that little addition to Ugga Mugga’s logo and in the person behind the logo, Beth has played the trumpet from age 8, describing it not as a hobby, but a lifestyle. She practiced beginning from that young age and found it to play a huge role in her 20

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

formative years and beyond. Her love and dedication to the trumpet parallels her family’s work ethic. As Beth grew up, she remembers eating dinner at 4 p.m. each afternoon, because her father Ed, who was a teacher, left school for the second job he worked, remodeling homes from 5:30 to 9:30 each evening. Every job Ed did translated to trumpet lessons, college and anything for which his children, Beth and her siblings, Matt and Krissy, would not only be provided, but would help them thrive. From her father, Beth learned that there might be 10 people up for the job you want, but to get it you have to be the best, and that if

you have to study ﬁve hours a night, that’s what you do — and you practice your trumpet every day. Her father’s hard work allowed Beth’s mother, Cynde, to stay at home. Beth describes her as “just magical.” Even though Cynde didn’t have a job outside the home, she put her time and heart into her children, which she continues to do now with Beth’s daughters, Zoey and Seger. Cynde doesn’t spend a lot of money on the things she does, but she puts her full self into everything, from birthday parties to Easter baskets to time spent with family, Beth says. It doesn’t take money to video chat on FaceTime

with granddaughter Zoey, which she does often, if not daily, and for as long as Zoey wants t hem to be connected. Beth was in tenth grade when she went to Pitt Band Day at the University of Pittsburgh. While she was there, she heard the marching band from Ohio University, the Marching 110. She thought to herself, ‘This is what I’m doing.’ She was in her high school’s marching band and knew Ohio University was where she was meant to be. She wrote down the band Beth Zagst, center, and her siblings, Matt and Krissy, help carry name on a slip of paper, put on a family tradition of togetherness. Photos submitted it in her band jacket, and then at home, such as birthday cakes, and eventually put it in her jewelry box. When the time graduated to artistic, gourmet wedding came to apply for college, she was detercakes. Beth has a vast menu, offering a mined to go to Ohio. wide variety of custom-made cakes, as Knowing that out-of-state colleges well as the goodies she sells out of her were more expensive, her father encourstorefront. Since her first wedding cake aged her to apply for colleges in Pennseason in her commercial kitchen last sylvania. Then, she says, her parents had year, she is fast making a name for herself the opportunity to hear the Marching 110 in and around the High Country. play. Her dad “knew in his soul” that it She and her husband Brandon, a local was where his daughter belonged — and anesthesiologist, and owner of Cornit was where she would go. “He also knew bread Tactical in Boone, are very similar if would require a long-term financial in many ways, she says — with the same commitment, but he didn’t think twice,” entrepreneurial spirit, high energy, extroBeth says. version and love for making others laugh. The Marching 110 couldn’t have been “He is also an expert at trumpet, and has a more perfect fit for Beth. She quickly played since he was seven,” she adds. immersed herself, she says, and the work The couple moved their family to ethic she learned from her parents paid Blowing Rock nearly four years ago when off. The auditions for the band were Brandon accepted a job locally as an grueling 12-hour days, but she was deteranesthesiologist. mined not to give up. And she made it — Beth’s two elementary-age daughters and had the time of her life. They toured Zoey and Seger were born 15 months every weekend, and she was in Macy’s apart. “We had so much fun with Zoey Thanksgiving Day parade. The hard when she was born that we wanted to do work it took to be in the band aligned it again,” she says. Beth loves everything beautifully with how she was raised, she about motherhood and says the girls explains. make their family complete. It is her deBeth applies those same principles sire that her children have the kind of life she learned growing up, and that she she had as a child, and that they grow up used in the band, in her business, Ugga with special memories to last a lifetime. Mugga Bakery. Beth started her bakery Much of her maternal instinct — and from the funds with the very first cake love for tradition — comes from the exshe made. Because her children were ample set forth by her mother, Beth says, young while she was playing trumpet who has been making the same Thanksprofessionally, at weddings and events, giving and Christmas meals, using the she found she needed a lifestyle change. same recipes, since the mid‘70s. A creative person at heart, she found that It was Beth’s sister Krissy, who recordmaking cakes was a way to express that ed on videotape their mom making this creativity. She started with smaller cakes,

meal on Thanksgiving Day, 1999. The video went on from early morning to early evening, she recalls, after which the siblings transcribed the day, and every recipe, into a book that helps them to carry on their mom’s tradition. Beth delights in this meal and describes it as “perfect to every person.” To learn more about Beth and Ugga Mugga Bakery, located at 1107 Main Street in Blowing Rock, stop in or visit online at www.uggamuggabakery.com. A favorite from Beth’s family meals includes that of her mother’s Hot Appetizer Pie, shared here:

Cynde Nitowski’s Hot Appetizer Pie 1 (8oz.) package cream cheese 2 Tbsp. milk 1 (2.5 oz.) jar dried beef, cut finely 2 Tbsp. finely chopped green pepper 2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion ½ tsp. pepper (fresh ground is best) ½ cup sour cream ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional) Preparation: 30 minutes Baking: 15 minutes Easy – can make ahead Directions: Soften cream cheese and blend with milk. Mix other ingredients with this, except nuts. Pat into an 8-inch Pyrex pie plate. Spread ¼ cup chopped walnuts over the top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Serve hot or cold. Note from Beth: “Mom always made this for Super Bowl parties and other company get-togethers. Serve it warm with small dark rye bread rounds. The saltiness of the dried beef goes really well with the cream cheese. You can add more pepper and onions to taste.” Caroline Bond Caroline Bond is a woman finding her way through the world with words — speaking, listening and writing. She would love to hear what you have to say, and you can write to her at carolinebond0206@gmail.com.

AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

marriageandFamilyCorner

all

Seasons

Although “What Dreams May Come” received mixed reviews when it was released in 1998, my love for Robin Williams, for allegory — and for considering spiritual ideas — launched it to the top of my favorites list, where it remains. The story between Williams’ character, Chris, and his wife, Annie, delves into the experiences of grief, despair, love and commitment. Over the years, I have thought many times about the scene in which Chris follows Annie into hell and apologizes for leaving her alone — not joining her in her grief. At times, the scene inspires me to join the people I love most in their worst despair. Other times, it seems contrary to important mental health guidelines, such as

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

preservation of personal boundaries and self care. This sort of apparent contradiction is especially difficult in relation to a loved one who has an addiction. It can be very beneﬁcial, although difficult, to balance connection with the person while maintaining healthy boundaries. Ultimately, these two goals are complementary, not contradictory. That is, they represent different ends of the spectrum, but they are mutually enhancing, not mutually exclusive. Healthy and beneﬁcial connection cannot be sustained without self care and boundaries. Likewise, without connection during times of need, relationships suffer and ultimately damage individual wellbeing. Loving a person with an addiction

presents many challenges to this balance. Of course, those challenges allow plenty of opportunities for learning to make the adjustments needed for balance between these complementary goals. Perhaps the most difficult lesson I have learned in my life has been to be happy and well, even when someone I love dearly is neither. OK, to be honest, that lesson is ongoing. Grasping that being happy and well when someone I love is not has opened me to personal and professional growth. I remember recognizing profound truth in the quote, “A mother is only as happy as her saddest child.” Part of my ongoing lesson has been to understand that, while matching a child’s happiness

level is typical, it isn’t inevitable. Furthermore, the child(ren) is (are) actually better served by a parent who takes responsibility for personal wellbeing at the same time as demonstrating love and connection. My journey of this sort of personal responsibility beneﬁts my children. And, my ability to see this connection allows me to better serve clients who need to make decisions about this sort of balance. In seeking to provide effective support to a loved one who struggles with addiction, or with any other chronic illness, it is often tempting to choose between enmeshment with the loved one that enables destructive patterns, and cutting off as the only means to maintain boundaries and self-care. Surely, there are times when a burst of attention to a sick loved one is healthy and appropriate and when ending a relationship is best. Still, overall, both people beneﬁt from more of a balance, even when it seems impossible or devastating for a while. My practice is now aware that it is possible and best to actively seek this balance.

On June 20, we will experience the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. As we experience the warmth and fun of summer, we know the days are already starting to shorten. We move toward autumn, when we will prepare again for the short days of winter. The cycle of our seasons may help us to understand the balance that is possible in our relationships with others — and with ourselves — including when dealing with a chronic illness, such as addiction. Most of us know and love a person with an addiction. Chronic diseases and illnesses also experience cycles, or seasons. Maintaining sight of what we can understand about these patterns may help us to choose reasonable reactions and self care. Being happy and well during winter requires thinking ahead and preparing, even while taking time to bask in long days of sun. Surely, it is easier to survive through winter when it presents fewer blizzards and less ice. But, it is also easier to survive — and to even enjoy when we are properly prepared and equipped. Taking a hike in the snow is enjoyable when

our bodies are sufficiently protected from frostbite, and our footwear helps us to avoid falls. Insisting that a loved one wear protective gear will not protect our own feet from frostbite during bitter cold. This wellbeing then allows for the happiness of a snow adventure. Likewise, protection from sunburn, heat exhaustion, skin cancer and other summer dangers increases our ability to stick around for long-term connection. Being well and happy during all seasons is the least we can do for ourselves — or for the people we love, including when we seek to effectively support a loved one during an addiction or other chronic disease.

For more information on available services or to discuss information in this column, contact:

MARY MCKINNEY, MA, LMFT McKinney Marriage and Family Therapy 828.268.0155 For urgent matters and ﬁrst-time callers: 828.773.5463 www.mckinneymft.com mary@mckinneymft.com

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2016

BEAUTY

quick smoky-eye liquid liner brighten tired eyes add volume to lashes

decrease eye baggage

quick-dry nails

lipstick staying power plump your lips gloss factor

makeup wipes

body bronzer smell good longer

Makeup

Beauty Hacks 24

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

If you are keeping up with what’s trending in makeup and beauty, you’ve probably come across the word “hack.” Until recently, that word was usually associated with a cutting blade of some sort, a computer or a person who is a professional at doing some kind of service, but does less than acceptable work. Necessity is the mother of invention, and in the language of beauty, a hack demonstrates cleverness or ingenuity, solves a meaningful problem and is not a common or well-known solution to a problem. To help improve your makeup regiment — and create new ways of using what we already have — I am sharing 15 of my favorite hacks with you:

1. Make your own makeup wipes: Cut a roll of paper towels in half, place in a container. Soak in four cups of warm water and one to two tablespoons of (liquid) coconut oil.

2. Remove foundation on clothing: Spray on a dollop of shaving cream and work into the fabric prior to washing.

3. Dried out mascara: If it’s in the “three-month rule,” simply add a few drops of saline solution and voila!

4. Out of liquid liner: You reach for your liner and it’s totally gone, not to worry, just swipe your eyeliner brush through your mascara wand and line away.

5. Best way to apply undereye concealer: Instead of the traditional “U” shape pattern under the eye, try an inverted triangle base under eye and point toward your cheek. This helps conceal darkness and creates the illusion of lift to the face.

6. Lipstick staying power: Apply lip pencil, lipstick, blot and then dust translucent powder onto lips through a tissue; reapply lipstick and repeat process. This allows the pigments to adhere to the lips.

7. Quick smoky-eye: This is so easy. Make a slanted hashtag mark on the outer edge of your eyelid, then smudge with a sponge. Lightly set with translucent powder.

8. Add volume to your lashes: Using a small ﬂuffy eye brush, lightly dust lashes with translucent powder between ﬁrst and second coats to plump up those lashes. Translucent powder has “grip” and will stick to your lashes between coatings with mascara and make them more voluminous.

9. Brighten tired eyes: Blend a little eye prime on lids and tap a pearly shadow in corners near eyes.

10. Plump your lips: Give the appearance of a fuller pout by applying lip color, then pressing your thumb into a frosty eye shadow, puck-

ering up and giving your lips a “thumbs up” by pressing in the center. The reﬂective light gives the illusion of fuller lips.

11. Extend your gloss factor: Make your gloss last longer by applying lip pencil over the lips to give the gloss a base to cling to.

12. Make your own body bronzer: Mix loose bronzer powder with your favorite lotion and smooth over arms, legs and decollete.

the Vaseline will hold the scent for a longer period of time.

14. Quick-dry nails: No quick-dry on hand? Prepare a bowl of water with ice cubes, air dry your nails for three minutes and then dunk into cold water for another three minutes.

15. Decrease that eye baggage: Apply wet, cold green tea bags to minimize puffiness and to tighten the area for ﬁve-six minutes. Stay Beautiful!

13. Smell good longer: Rub a little Vaseline on your pulse points and then apply your favorite fragrance. Instead of being absorbed into your skin,

Marion Edwards Marion Edwards is a Licensed Esthetician, Professional Makeup Artist and Certiﬁed Trainer for Motives Cosmetics. She can be contacted at 828.262.5954.

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Photo by Sherrie Norris

Janet Speer ‘Impresario of the High Country’ Photos submitted

As the daughter of James Barton, founder and chair of the theater department at Texas State University, it is no surprise that a childhood spent on stage, back stage, in the spotlight — and waiting in the wings — has indelibly marked Janet Barton Speer as a lover of all things production, all that is necessary to create outstanding shows and performances, season after season. Armed with her personal mantra, “I never go through the motions — I want to add something unique,” Janet has left audiences spellbound since her arrival to the High Country in the late 1970s. A graduate of Texas State University, Janet received her undergraduate and master’s degrees in drama, music and dance, followed by her doctoral degree

in these areas from Louisiana State University. Upon the completion of these academic achievements, Janet relocated to Banner Elk where she began teaching theater arts at Lees-McRae College in 1978. At that time, Lees-McRae had two drama students and two music students. Janet welcomed the opportunity to build from the ground up, and explains, “When you’re small, you wear lots of hats,” and, “You gain experience in all aspects of theater and production.” As her theater department grew, so did Janet’s love for Western North Carolina. When approached by larger and more prestigious programs, Janet refused to budge from her section of the Appalachian region. “The High Country is

magical,” she says. “The mix of people — both locals and visitors — and the loving, giving community of Banner Elk cannot be surpassed.” After a few years of work for summer companies in and around Banner Elk, Janet was asked to establish a summer theatre program for Lees-McRae that has continued to ﬂourish since its 1985 inception. Janet attributes the program’s ongoing success to “hiring the right people” and “agonizing over the choice in both play and performers.” Further, she explains her goal “to have good work” has come to fruition year after year as “the theater continues to learn and grow.”

AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

Janet explains that part of choosing a particular play comes from deliberating over theme, what she describes as “the spine of the play.” She says, “If I can find what I want the play to say, I can get more mileage out of it.” Carefully considering the social climate, as well as current community needs, is also part of the selection process. In working with plays she has produced several times, Janet’s goal is to bring something new to each version of the play and its performance. She has come to believe that the play itself is a gift, “a precious thing” for the producer, actors and audience. Involved in every aspect of performance and production, Janet has established a legacy in LMC theater, both as a major at the college and through her summer productions. Pam Joslin, coordinator of tickets, programs and all things financial for summer theater, describes Janet as “the heart and soul of summer theatre.” Further, Pam explains, “Janet has taught me theatre.” During her time away from the stage, Janet enjoys working in her flower garden, for which she has earned the title

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

“the hosta queen.” She also enjoys going on dates with her husband, Allen Speer, who is a retired LMC history professor. Janet describes Allen as an “ideas man” with whom she enjoys watching ﬁlms and attending festivals. “This thinking environment serves me well in the theatre,” she explains. In working with actors, scripts, musicians and set production, “Every day is different, and every day presents a problem that has to be solved,” Janet says. Problem solving and creating a “plan B” when necessary suits Janet. “I love the work.” This work includes selecting Janet’s favorites — “plays that have a huge message and carry a timeless and transcendental meaning for audiences of varying ages.” LMST’s 2016 season is no exception. “Mary Poppins” presents a dysfunctional family who can’t look at each other, who come into contact with a magical character who makes things right once again — a hopeful message for families everywhere. Likewise, “Always, Patsy Cline” presents a short piece of the famous singer’s biography, about which Janet explains, “When given the op-

portunity to explore other people’s lives, we create the opportunity to learn about ourselves.” The season will end with the musical, “Pajama Game,” that presents the everpresent tensions between laborers and bosses in a humorous way. This line-up will allow a diversity in the theatrical performances which audiences continue to appreciate. When asked about the time and energy she has spent at Lees-McRae creating quality theatre, Janet says “It saddens me to watch our community age out, for people to pass on, yet the sameness of our community embraces me now in the same way it embraced my family when I moved to this area.” Raising her two sons, Donovan and Barton, in Banner Elk, Janet says, they were taught a “village value and enjoyed a strong sense of community,” as they spent their childhoods roaming around campus and into town. Janet has shaped her program in making use of this “village value.” Aware of the unique population in this area of locals and regular visitors, Janet continues to tap into the resources that both bring to the High Country. She regularly

includes local children in her summer productions and relies on those who spend summers in the area to share stories of other drama companies, and also spread the word about LMC summer theatre. Although she retired from her professorship at LMC in 2013, Janet’s heart and passions are showcased every summer as she works on the summer season year round. “In retirement, I have kept a piece of myself, and that has been such a good decision,” Janet says. “I’m very happy with the situations of my life,” Janet explains, and describes her retirement as “beautiful.” In regard to the future, she says, “I want to continue what I’m doing.” Janet is a very active member of Banner Elk Presbyterian in teaching Sunday school and beginning a group that works with those who suffer from mental illnesses. The life advice she shares with her students, colleagues and others important in her life is “Be truthful. Be kind and giving to others.” She says that she has learned to be “more concerned about the soul.” In regard to teaching and directing

theatre, Janet claims her greatest success as coming from “the students I stay connected to,” and “those who go on to enjoy great success.” Longtime student and mentee, Kim Krege Florio explains: “Dr. Speer has been in my life since the ﬁfth grade. I have always wanted to be just like her. She is eclectic, quirky, patient, human, talented and so creative. She has inspired so many people to pursue their dreams — and I am one of them. Now, my path has ended up being just like her — and teaching — but it is where I belong. ‘Doc’ molds and shapes you into someone you never knew you could be. She never waivers on her beliefs and morals, yet still relates to all generations. She is timeless! Just come to one of her aerobic classes and you will see for yourself.” Janet describes her perfect day as any day in life. Adventuring with her husband to Scotland, Ireland, Hawaii and Charleston — or gardening or working — are those things she loves to do. With aspirations as a young girl of becoming an actress and living a life on the stage, Janet’s career path changed somewhat when she became a mother at a young age. “I was goal-oriented,” Janet

says of her years in college. “I discovered early on that I love to teach, and, as a result, my life has been ﬁlled with both teaching and theatre.” When asked about the difficulty of giving up her dream of becoming a “movie star,” Janet wisely explains, “I like what I’ve become, rather than what I might’ve become.” Of her life she says, “I have no regrets.” With theatre always at the forefront, Janet has grown from a 10-year-old girl watching her father direct performances, to dreaming of her “name in lights,” to rolling up her sleeves and creating more drama, suspense, laughter beauty, and love in her magical and beloved place that seems possible in Western North Carolina. With determination, passion and a fervent belief that the transcendence inherent in art aids in understanding life, Janet Speer continues her reign as “impresario of the High Country.” Hollie Greene Hollie Greene is an English teacher who loves stories, words and the mountains of North Carolina.

AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

highcountrycourtesies

Fostering Forgiveness “We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love.” -Martin Luther King Jr. “Say you are sorry when you hurt someone.” -Robert Fulghum, from “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten”

Being human, we make mistakes. We don’t intend to hurt, let down, offend, forget, misunderstand, ignore or generally mess up — quite the opposite — but we do. From an accidental step on the toes to a broken trust, life presents daily opportunities to apologize, to ask forgiveness, to say, “I’m sorry” and to make amends. Giving and receiving forgiveness are essential aspects of our human growth

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

and are crucial for human relationships. The more promptly and sincerely an apology is offered, the more likely that apology is accepted and the relationship with the offended person can progress. Consequently, where there is no apology and forgiveness, the quality of relationship diminishes. Forgiveness is a choice, not an innate reaction. When we feel deeply wronged, our natural self-protection instincts

engage. Immediate doses of mercy and forgiveness are not necessarily automatic responses; more likely, we feel anger against the injustice of the wrong done to us, and desire to lash out and retaliate. Starting in childhood, we need to learn (and teach) appropriate tools and skills of forgiving others when we ﬁrst encounter rude behavior — and to recognize when we need to apologize for our insensitive words or actions. Teach-

ings on forgiveness are included in most world religions. Tenets of forgiveness include instruction to recognize offenses, to admit them promptly before God and the offended persons, while asking forgiveness, to rectify the situation, to commit to not repeating the offenses and to forgive, as we desire to be forgiven. We are to forgive — for our own good — to prevent harmful thoughts from causing havoc on one’s mental wellbeing. Holding onto anger or resentment will hurt the one refusing to forgive by locking them to the wrong from the past, blocking the joy of the present and the hope of the future. Corrie Ten Boom, who survived a World War II concentration camp, said, “Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you.”

MAKING AN APOLOGY An apology recognizes that we have injured someone with our words or behavior or have violated their trust. Apologies should be offered promptly with humility and sincerity. By incorporating the ﬁve fundamental aspects or “languages,” of an apology, as identiﬁed by Gary Chapman and Jennifer Thomas, in their book, “The Five Languages of an Apology,” we can communicate our requests for forgiveness effectively. 1) Express your regret (“I’m sorry.”): Focus on what you did, or missed doing, and how that affected others. 2) Accept responsibility (“I was wrong.”): Be willing to admit you were wrong. 3) Make restitution (“What can I do to make it right?”): Do something to make up for the pain you caused. 4) Genuinely repent (“I’ll try to not do that again.”): Express intent to change. 5) Request forgiveness (“Will you please forgive me?”): Admit wrongdoing, seek restoration of the relationship and show a willingness to put the relationship in the hands of the other person.

ACCEPTING AN APOLOGY • You should accept a sincere apology graciously, modeling the manner you wish for others to accept your apologies. • Accept an apology using as few words as possible, especially if you are still upset or angry. Your attitude should

be kind and courteous, never causing the person apologizing to feel bad. • Forgiveness is not acquittal, nor a denial of injury. Consequences of someone’s actions may remain. • Accepting an apology does not mean allowing oneself to be taken advantage of, or to be treated badly. If someone repeatedly says or does inconsiderate things, you should consider staying away from them. (At no time should you return to a situation of abuse — no matter how sincere the apology. Seek counsel immediately.) • When there is no apology (from an unrepentant or absent offender), you can forgive unilaterally, even when the offending person does not request forgiveness. Releasing your feelings of hurt and right to restitution can free you to heal those wounds and enable you to move ahead with your life and relationships. • Forgiveness can be a slow process. Some big offenses may require a lifetime of forgiveness. Choose to forgive until the matter is settled in your heart. • If you are having a difficult time forgiving, try identifying exactly what the offense cost you. Putting a name on the loss you experienced can help you move closer to grieving that loss, and progressing through the healing process. By deciding to forgive, you choose to rectify the injury, and your feelings will follow. • Accepting an apology and forgiving someone means putting aside the obstacles between others and ourselves, and moving ahead with life. The choices of forgiveness can move both parties toward a restoration of their relationship. As writer Ann Lamott reminds us, “Earth is forgiveness school.” Indeed, our lives are fraught with opportunities to forgive: families, schools, work environments, marriages and friendships are breeding grounds for misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Yet, through humble apologies and gentle forgiveness, we can build healthy relationships, free from resentment and full of the acceptance, encouragement and support we all need.

Sharon Carlton

Apology 101 As an enthusiastic fan of author, speaker and relationship expert Gary Chapman, whose work I frequently quote in my articles and workshops, I eagerly anticipated his March visit to the High Country. On the eve of his visit, I was horrified when I realized I had incorrectly identified him in my March column as Dr. Gary Smalley, another talented counselor and author of books on family relationships. (Oh, the wretched consequences of my push-the-deadline, sleepy-brained, late-night writing sessions!) At his local speaking engagement, he closed the question and answer session by speaking about apologies. Ouch! I felt my cue to “fess up.” So, while he signed my books, I summoned the courage to “express regret/accept responsibility/make restitution/genuinely repent/request forgiveness.” In his genteel manner, he belly-laughed at my apology, saying that my mistake was not the first time the two “Dr. Garys” had been confused, nor would it be the last. He shared a story of how, years ago, they both had originally bristled when they were approached to sign the other’s books, but for many years since, they had both just graciously signed each other’s names and smiled. His acceptance of my apology was a model of grace; the experience was an inspiring lesson that may spur me to not push every deadline quite so hard. My editor hopes so. Meanwhile, if you are looking for the “Five Love Languages,” it was written by (Dr.) Gary Chapman. Please forgive my mistake. Thank you for your understanding.

Sharon Carlton, High Country Courtesies ©2016 Sharon Carlton writes and speaks on modern etiquette and life skill topics. She conducts High Country Courtesies dining etiquette and customer service workshops. Contact her at highcountrycourtesies@gmail.com

AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

Boone women Joyce Hampton, at left, and Patti Huffman, right, share the diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease and the determination to give it their best fight. Photo by Sherrie Norris

for FIGHTING LIFE

Peer support is key for Parkinson’s patients Boone women Joyce Hampton and Patti Huffman share numerous similarities — they live in the same neighborhood, they are mothers and grandmothers and widows who served as caregivers for their dying husbands. They are also among the 1 million-plus individuals living in the United States with Parkinson’s Disease and were diagnosed within days of each other. And together they are ﬁghting — literally — to maintain their independence and a quality of life that is often lost with the disease’s progression. The women are trying to do “all the right things” to slow the effects of the disease, they say, which includes recommended medications and physical activity, speciﬁcally boxing, a relatively new concept for Parkinson’s patients recently implemented at the Paul H. Broyhill Wellness Center in Boone. It is important for the women to help their community learn more

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

about the disorder, which they describe as a progressively degenerative involuntary movement disorder involving the central nervous system. It is associated with a chemical imbalance and is usually identified by tremors and rigidity, they say, and is among those mysterious ailments with no known cause or cure. Thanks to continued advancements in research and treatment, however, they are able to maintain a semblance of normalcy. It’s also thanks to a local support group which Patti helped start that they are able to stay informed about the latest developments related to the disease, as well as spend time with their peers who understand their dilemma. Joyce’s symptoms began at least a year before she was actually diagnosed with Parkinson’s, she says, first with a twitching thumb. “Then, my whole hand started shaking.” Her hairdresser recognized the symptoms and encouraged her to see her family doctor who referred her to a neurologist to confirm the diagnosis. Joyce has experienced significant posture changes recently and a slower gait. “I also have arthritis and I ache all the time.” The hardest thing, she admits, is not being able to do things she’s always done before. Joyce qualifies as a candidate for deep (brain) stimulation surgery, but she has no plans to pursue the procedure — “as long as I can get around as good as I am now,” she adds. “I’ve seen some people get better after having it done — and I’ve seen some get worse.” When first diagnosed, Joyce says, “ I had not heard of anyone else around here with Parkinson’s and I thought I was the only one.” She also was in denial for a while, too. “I just kept thinking it had to be something else, but once I accepted that I had it, I was able to deal with it better.” Patti’s life as a missionary in Nigeria changed dramatically when she began having Parkinson’s symptoms, which forced her to give up a way of life that she and her daughter had come to know and love. Among Patti’s biggest challenges, she says, have been fatigue, apathy and depression. “My handwriting has also changed and my voice has grown softer to where others often do not hear me,” she explains. “My fine motor skills are affected, as well, to the point of having trouble opening my flip phone.” Both women have undergone intensive medical treatment and have endured

members in the center’s relatively new considerable frustration before finding the boxing program — “in conjunction with right medication. Catherine Graham and Blue Ridge Physical “When Patti told me about the support Therapy who informs patients and screens group and invited me to join, I didn’t know them to insure they are physically able to what to expect,” says Joyce. “The first time box,” he says. “We are both advocates for I went, I enjoyed it so much, and I saw that Parkinson’s patients.” I was not the only one. It helped me to hear Boxing is “an empowerment tool,” stories from the others about what they are Martin describes. “Participants are able to going through. It’s different with everyone, feel like they are conquering, rather than but the support we give each other helps us sitting back feeling helpless. Plus, it’s a to deal with it better. Now, I look forward to good workout.” going every month.” Boxing is just the latest of several topics That’s how they learned about the benthe group has discussed since its first meetefits of boxing, Joyce says. ing in August 2011. “It’s a way to help with our ‘A lot of times, For individuals in the motor skills, which I would area with Parkinson’s Disnever have thought about. people don’t ease — and those who care The stretching and moving want others to for them — the group meets your arms and legs really twice monthly for fellowknow they have helps. If you don’t move ship, encouragement and your muscles, they become it and they try education: From 10 a.m. stiff, and soon, you won’t – noon on the last Tuesday to keep it a be able to use them.” of each month at Watauga Physical activity is secret as long County Library in Boone, encouraged for Parkinson’s as they can. It and for lunch the second patients, the women said. Tuesday of each month. Both Patti and Joyce is nothing to be “This group is here are currently “maintainto improve the quality of ashamed of.’ ing.” life for each member and “I’m not getting better, - Patti Huffman their caregivers by sharing but I’m not getting worse, information and available either,” Joyce says. “I hope services in our area,” says Patti Huffman. to keep it at this level.” “We invite anyone with symptoms or a diOwner of Hampton’s Body Shop, she agnosis of Parkinson’s to join us. We try to continues to help run the business with her keep everything positive, but realistic. John children and grandchildren. Padgett, our facilitator, is great at keeping She also enjoys reading, working word us on track. He is a very knowledgeable puzzles and making crafts with other and compassionate leader who is a tremenwomen at church. dous help to us all.” Patti stays busy in her community and John Padgett, of Living Hope Minischurch and helping with her grandchildren. tries, became involved at Patti’s invitation Parkinson’s is “a real disease and basisoon after she was diagnosed, as well as his cally unpredictable,” Patti adds. “So much own family member and a ministry associabout it is still unknown and symptoms are ate. “It is not a cookie cutter disease,” John often misunderstood. A lot of times, people explains. “The impact for one person is don’t want others to know they have it and quite diff erent than it might be for another.” they try to keep it a secret as long as they Interest and attendance in the group can. It is nothing to be ashamed of.” has grown significantly since it began, he adds. “The most special thing about it is that it’s not me running the group — the members are there to help each other.” Patti sees the support group as a During a recent meeting of the High reminder that she is not alone. “It also alCountry Parkinson’s Disease Support lows us the opportunity to share new ideas Group, fitness leader Martin Hubner from and information, as well as our concerns the Wellness Center explained the benefits and frustrations. We often hear from guest of boxing in helping to alleviate some of speakers who cover topics of interest the symptoms of Parkinson’s, including related to Parkinson’s.” tremors, balance, depression and stress. About 95 percent of those who joined Martin works with some of the group’s the group in the beginning are still active,

High Country Parkinson’s Support Group

ABOUT PARKINSON’S DISEASE • Approximately 1.5 million Americans have Parkinson’s disease. • Men are slightly more likely to develop the disease than women. • Approximately 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. • Because the majority of people who get Parkinson’s disease are over the age of 60, it is often considered an “older person’s” disease, but younger people are affected, too. • Parkinson’s symptoms include, but are not limited to the following: Movement/motor skills difficulties, slowness, rigidity, tremors, balance and gait problems, decreased facial expression, low voice volume, small handwriting and decreased motor skills, depression and other emotional changes; difficulty in swallowing, chewing and speaking, urinary problems or constipation, skin problems, sleep disruptions and fatigue. For more information, call Huffman at (828) 773-7386 or Padgett at (828) 773-2864.

says Patti, with about 25 people attending each meeting. “We wouldn’t have met otherwise, but we realize now, that we share a very special common bond.” The support group also offers resources and information provided by the American Parkinson Disease Association, as well as Parkinson’s Association of the Carolinas, the latter of which hosts weekend retreats that the group has attended.

sherrie norris Editor, All About Women

AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

Megan Shepherd’s

‘The Madman’s Daughter’ A maelstrom of conﬂicts, “The Madman’s Daughter” swirls in a ﬁctional tidal wave of coming of age angst, betrayal, neglect and at its core, crazy, passionate love. Through the voice of Juliet Moreau, readers are introduced to a world of dualities: good vs. evil, love vs. hate, civilization vs. barbarism and science vs. faith. First on the streets of London and later on

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

an island inhabited by her “mad scientist” father, Juliet faces the inner turmoil of coming to terms with herself, her father’s cruelty and her mother’s death. Likewise, she tackles questions about morality, the limits of experiments and which of her two suitors is her true soul mate. Through a series of supposed happenstance, Juliet ﬁnds herself without a job or family in London. Upon discover-

ing Montgomery, the boy-now-man with whom she grew up, Juliet sails with him to an island on a rudimentary ship ﬁlled solely with men. Uncertain who to trust, Juliet ﬁnds herself drawn time and again to Montgomery’s side. His presence carries the weight of their shared past, as well as the shadows that hang over both their present and future.

“I’ve thought of you over the years, Juliet,” Montgomery said. “More than I should.” “Juliet, he’d called me. He’d dropped the pretense of using my surname. Since I’d seen him again, there’d been a tightness inside my chest whenever he was around, like string lashed around my heart. I felt it tug at his little gestures that brought me back to our childhood. At the way he made me feel safe, for the first time in years, and yet passionately alive.” And yet, as the young adult story continues, Juliet finds herself equally drawn to Edward, a stowaway who barely survives the trip to the island. “His (Edward’s) skin was on fire. His lips grazed my neck, and my larynx tensed, ready to scream. My eyelids shot open, my vision glassy and unfocused. ‘We belong together. Not to serve your father’s mad experiment. But because we’re the same.’ His open palm

covered my heart. I gasped at his touch. Fear and thrill were divided by such a ﬁne line that I couldn’t tell which plucked at the tight strings in my chest. As much as I loved Montgomery, he couldn’t understand me, like Edward.” Twisted into her love triangle, Juliet’s father, Dr. Moreau, also plays on her heart with a seemingly distorted sense of love paired with a narcissist’s sense of injustice in the system, in science and in his daughter. Torn by love and hate for the man whose presence pulls out the scientist long buried, Juliet runs away from her father’s compound only to discover that even more dangers lurking on the island. Set in the mid 1800s, the assertion that “girls don’t study science,” also plays a part in the driving action of the plot as Juliet’s character continues to challenge gender role stereotypes. Faced with betrayal and uncertainty

up to the cliffhanger ending, Juliet narrates “As I was swept out to sea, among the expensive baubles meant to buy me passage and the food that Edward had so carefully packed away, the island took form on the horizon. I saw the blaze that was once the compound…And then I saw nothing, as the waves spun me around in their dips and swells and the island disappeared into the night…” A story ﬁlled with romance, research, loyalty and treachery, the ﬁrst in Megan Shepherd’s trilogy is sure to send readers on a search for book #2, “Her Dark Curiosity.”

Hollie Greene Hollie Greene is an English teacher who loves stories, words and the mountains of North Carolina.

About the Author Growing up in Brevard, Megan Shepherd’s imagination benefitted from a childhood spent in her parents’ independent bookstore. A lover of the classics, gothic novels in particular, Megan was raised on a healthy diet of favorites such as “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” “Frankenstein” and “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” Megan explains that she is drawn to writing young adult fiction because she finds it “refreshing and hopeful —YAL is a way of finding hope in the darkness.”

Her trilogy which includes “The Madman’s Daughter,” “Her Dark Curiosity” and “A Cold Legacy” has received several awards as well as has been optioned for ﬁlm by Paramount Pictures. Her ﬁrst middle-grade book, “The Secret Horses of Briar Hill,” will be released this fall by Delacorte, an imprint of Random House. To learn more about Megan Shepherd’s books, readings, or events visit www.meganshepherd.com.

Megan Shepherd conducted a reading, question and answer session and book signing at ACHS. The author is pictured here with the ACHS book club, “The Nerd Herd.”

AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

Along for the ride with

Marie Bumgarner Photos by Erika Giovanetti

hen thinking about public servants, a few

professions come to mind: police, ﬁreﬁghters, paramedics and maybe even teachers. But to Watauga County Schools, someone a little less expected was given the Servant’s Heart Award: driver of bus No. 24, Marie Bumgarner. In mid-March, WCS superintendent Scott Elliot presented Marie with the Servant’s Heart Award, a monthly honor given to a staff member who goes “above and beyond the call of duty to serve our schools and students with a servant’s heart,” according to Elliot. Marie has the longest route in the county, traveling nearly 150 miles per day from Valle Crucis to Beech Mountain, and has driven that same route since 1989. She spends about seven and a half hours behind the wheel to ensure each child has safe and reliable transportation to school. But for the driver of bus No. 24, her job is more than bringing her kids from home to school and back — the children, many of which she has known from kindergarten through high school, keep her going.

No messin’ around Schoolchildren joke around on the bus, but know to take their seats safely once they get moving. Before letting the schoolchildren board her bus, Marie must conduct a pre-check, ensuring that all the brake, turn and headlights are functional, and that the bus’ stop sign (which, she said, many driv-

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

Marie Bumgarner stands proudly with her 2009 school bus No. 24.

ers do not take note of) opens and folds from the side of the bus as expected. Upon boarding, Marie greets every child fondly by ﬁrst name, and even by nickname, as if it were her own. In fact, she has driven many of these children since the age of 5, and has become very familiar with their personalities, quirks and extracurricular activities — in many respects, as a teacher does. One of the hardest parts of her job, Marie says, is disciplining the children. While most of the children she drives are “good kids,” she feels like she and her fellow bus drivers don’t get as much respect from the kids. And, although Marie regards her riders as her children while they’re on her bus, her own children are glad to have avoided riding their mom’s route.

‘When you get on the bus, you become my child. I’m responsible for your safety, your health. I’m responsible for you, just like your parents are at home. It would kill me if something were to happen to one of the kids on the bus.’ - Marie bumgarner

Hand signals are just one of the new rules that have come into effect for bus drivers since Marie Bumgarner began her career in 1989.

“All three of my children will tell you any day that they’re glad they didn’t have to drive mama’s bus route,” she says. Marie comes from a long line of Watauga County blood. Three generations of her family have attended Valle Crucis School, and her granddaughter will soon make that four. Maybe it’s her local heritage that makes it seem like she knows these windy mountain roads like the back of her hand. Along her route, Marie is treated to long-range views that would put even Grandfather Mountain to shame. The statistics from Bumgarner’s bus route are impressive; three times a day, she navigates her 2009 school bus from Valle Crucis at 2,600 feet to Beech Mountain at around 5,500 feet, traveling nearly 150 miles and traversing 2,900 feet of mountainous — and often rugged — elevation. During the 180-day school year, Marie clocks an impressive 27,000 miles per school year picking up and dropping off kids from Matney to Beech Mountain. She drives seven and a half hours every day, starting her route at 5:15 a.m. and returning to Valle Crucis School at 6:30 p.m. And although she’s been driving the same route for 26 years, Marie doesn’t complain. “I prefer the backroads, anyway,” she says. When Marie started out driving this route, she was just a substitute standing in for her friend. When another bus driver’s career succumbed to a shoulder injury, Marie took her place. Since then, she says, not much has changed; there are more rules now than there were when she got into bus driving in 1989, but the kids’ safety has always been at the center of her career.

In mid-March, WCS superintendent Scott Elliot, at left, and Jeff Lyons, right, present Marie Bumgarner with the Servant’s Heart Award.

Safety first

Servant’s Heart

“When you get on the bus, you become my child,” Marie stresses. “I’m responsible for your safety, your health. I’m responsible for you just like your parents are at home. It would kill me if something were to happen to one of the kids on the bus.”

The Servant’s Heart Award is presented monthly to a Watauga County Schools employee who exhibits exemplary service, according to Elliot. According to Marie, however, all of the bus drivers who tackle these mountain roads are all deserving of this special award. “That was really special,” Marie says. “I felt like they recognized not only me, but all the other bus drivers for the job we do. We don’t just drive the bus. When the kids get on in the morning, we say ‘good morning’ to them, and they get off in the afternoon and you say ‘bye’ to them. I really feel like I accepted that award for all the bus drivers in the county.” In fact, the WCS bus drivers do conquer a pretty impressive feat; every year, they travel roughly 502,000 miles — or 20 laps around the Earth, as Elliot puts it in perspective. “We are fortunate to have 46 bus drivers in our school system who safely deliver 1,729 students to and from school each day, driving 2,789 miles each day,” Elliot says. Marie stands out not only because of her dedication to the system’s longest route, but also because her servant’s heart is in the right place: with the safety of Watauga County’s schoolchildren. (Thanks to Marie and principal Preston Clarke of Valle Crucis School for allowing us to take a ride one warm spring afternoon in April on bus No. 24.)

Snow days at Watauga County Schools offer a bit of contention for this reason. But, after taking a ride on Marie’s route, it’s pretty easy to understand why school might be cancelled if there’s no snow on the ground in Boone. Keeping in mind that about half of Beech Mountain is located in Watauga County, imagine driving a car from the Valle Crucis School, at the intersection of Broadstone Road and Hwy. 194, to Beech Mountain via switchback roads. Now imagine that route, branching off onto hairpin-turn and gravel paths, during a snowstorm. “We had one day back earlier in the year when we decided to release school early because on a snow storming coming into the county,” Elliot recalled, while presenting Marie with the Servant’s Heart award. “I received two calls that afternoon: one from someone upset that we released school at a time when the roads seemed perfectly ﬁne, and another call from our transportation director Jeff Lyons telling me that Marie’s bus was stranded in the snow, that she has already put her chains on the bus, but we would need to wait for DOT to help get her off the mountain. For Marie, it was just another day of helping students get safely to school so that they can learn and get safely back home to be with their families.”

Erika Giovanetti Erika Giovanetti is an ASU graduate and a reporter for the Mountain Times, Watauga Democrat and All About Women Magazine who enjoys reading, hiking and traveling to new places.

AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

Bold, bright and beautiful:

Accessorizing for summer Summer is the most playful time of year for fashion, and especially for accessorizing. Between boldly-printed lightweight scarves, brighty-beaded necklaces and colorful sunglasses, summer’s accessories add some fun and liveliness to any outﬁt — all while keeping you breezy and comfortable in the hot weather. So, whether you love the long, ﬂowy maxi skirts or shorter sheath dresses, take a look at these ways you can accessorize your looks this summer:

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

Scarves

Jewelry

Especially during early and late summer when the mornings and evenings are a little breezy, scarves make the perfect chic accessory. They’re colorful, lightweight, fun and can be worn in several different ways, including around your neck, as a headband and even as a belt. Plus, if you’re getting a little warm, you can simply take your scarf off and tie it around the handle of your handbag for a playful, yet sophisticated look that’s perfect for the summer.

Jewelry trends for summer run the gamut from big geometric bangles to statement chokers, but they all have one thing in common — this season, jewelry is all about showing off your personality. It doesn’t matter if you want to dress up a simple top with a vibrant statement ﬂoral necklace or add some pizzazz with dangling metallic earrings. The important part of accessorizing with jewelry this summer is having fun with it – because pretty much anything goes.

Shoes After spending months in boots, we’re all happy to put on the sandals — a great way to celebrate warm weather. For the utmost comfort and versatility, look for strappy versions, like gladiator sandals, for instance, that won’t have any trouble staying on your feet while you’re walking around all day. When looking for summertime sandals, wedges and even ﬂats, don’t be afraid to choose colorful or embellished styles that will make a statement. If you’re looking for a neutral color, though, opt for nude or white over black to embrace the season.

often feel like it’s missing something. Those little extras can take an outﬁt from so-so to so-wow.

Belts Belts are a must-have for any season, because they can accentuate curves while defining a waist, and this season it’s all about the thin belts. When wearing anything particularly flowy or loose, like a tunic or a maxi dress, consider adding a belt to pull the look together and add instant definition.

Emily Apple is an Appalachian State graduate with a degree in fashion design and merchandising.

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No matter your style, a beautiful tote or cross-body bag is the perfect addition to your summer wardrobe. If you can’t leave the house without a big handbag, opt for a colored, patterned or textured tote that adds some visual interest to your look while still being practical. If smaller bags are more your style, cross-body bags in bright or metallic hues are a great complement to any summer wardrobe.

Emily apple

HAIRSTYLES

Handbags

Accessorizing during the winter is pretty easy — add a scarf here, throw on a layer there — the possibilities are endless, and we’re always spotting new tricks we can’t wait to try. The summer, however, is a different story. After all, you are looking to shed some clothes, not add more, but a simple T-shirt and shorts combo can

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Local women named Martha Trimble, at right, is presented with balloons by WCS Superintendent Scott Elliott and staff. Photo by Garrett Price

Martha Trimble wa t a u g a c o u n t y Watauga County Schools has named Martha Trimble as the 2016 county-wide teacher of the year. Trimble is a fourth-grade teacher at Blowing Rock Elementary School. She received her award from Watauga County Schools Superintendent Scott Elliott and members of the school board in a surprise ceremony in front of her school’s entire student body. “It is a great honor to be selected,” Martha says. “I am humbled by it — it is a great honor.” On the afternoon of her award presentation, Martha received her master’s degree in middle grades education during Appalachian State’s graduation ceremony. “To me this award represents the entire school,” says Patrick Sukow, Blowing Rock Elementary School principal. “We have a whole group of teachers who work extremely hard, and for someone like Martha, who is young, vibrant and energetic, to win the award is just a good representation of the kind of school that we have.” “Mrs. Trimble is just one of those special teachers,” Elliott said. “When you go into her classroom, you immediately get involved in what she and her students are doing. You can see on the faces of her students that they are fully engaged, that they are having a good time and they are proud of themselves for what they are able to accomplish. Mrs. Trimble is a role model for other teachers.”

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

ACHS English teacher and longtime girls basketball coach Missy Lyons was honored as Avery County Schools 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year. Photo by Matt Debnam

Missy Lyons av e r y c o u n t y On May 5, Avery County Schools recognized it 2016 Employees of the Year at a Banquet held at Newland Church of Jesus Christ at which Missy Lyons was named 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year, by Michelle Dellinger, 2014-2015 ACS Teacher of the Year. “This year’s Teacher of the Year has given Avery County Schools 25 years of service,” Michele said. “While teaching English to thousands of students of all ability levels and backgrounds, she has managed to reach every child and impact their life in a positive way. Along with giving her time in the classroom, she has coached several sports teams. Over the course of 11 years, she has led her girls’ varsity basketball team to over 200 wins, many conference championships and two sectional titles. The impact she has had on so many lives, students and athletes, her drive to produce future teachers who value public education, and serve students in the manner we all want our children served, are among the many reasons Missy Lyons has been named our 2015-2016 Teacher of the Year.” Following in the footsteps of her father, Kenny Poteat, who served as an ACHS teacher for 30 years. Missy describes teaching as a calling for herself and her brother, who works as a teacher in Burke County. “It’s a huge honor,” she says. “Surrounded by so many great teachers, it’s an honor to be chosen.”

d Teachers of the Year

Jodi Grubb was named Ashe County Teacher of the Year for 2016-2017. Photo by Erick Hoffman

Jodi Grubb ashe county Jodi Grubb, exceptional children’s teacher at Ashe County Middle School, was named Teacher of the Year for the 2016-2017 school year. On April 27, Jodi was surprised with the announcement by Todd Holden, superintendent of Ashe County Schools, other administrators from Ashe County Schools Central Office and her family. Her class of students, along with other students in the system, were at Pizza Hut having lunch. She had just taken her students to Ashe County High School to practice in preparation for the county’s Special Olympics. Her students were elated. She was selected by a team of school system personnel and community leaders. During her interview, Jodi said, “We do not assume inability in our students; we assume they all can learn. Every child learns differently and you must know your individual kids to be an effective teacher.” Her everyday motto is, “We all are more alike than we are different.” Ann Combs, Grubb’s exceptional children’s teacher assistant, says, “Jodi is one of the most kindhearted, loving people I know. Her charisma is contagious. Her teaching methods are new and

original and individualized to each student. The love and compassion she shows to her students is also shown to anyone she meets.” Holly McClure, another exceptional children’s teacher at the middle school, says, “Mrs. Grubb is one of the most selfless teachers I have ever worked with. Her upmost concern is always the needs of her students. She goes above and beyond to help her students find their voice and excel to their fullest potential.” “When it comes to the exceptional population of students, some people just get it,” says Alecia Giles, another teacher in the exceptional children’s department at Ashe Middle. “They instinctively connect with kids in a way that goes beyond the ordinary. Jodi Grubb is that teacher who intentionally seeks to encourage and strengthen the hearts of her students. Though many people focus on someone’s disability or inability, Jodi sees only their possibility. She is a visionary, continuously on that quest to truly see into a child’s heart and do whatever it takes for that child to reach his or her full potential.” Jodi began her career in Shelby and was employed with Ashe County Schools as an exceptional children’s teacher at Northwest Ashe in August 1998. She still teaches at the same site, but it’s now better known to the community as Ashe County Middle School. She earned her bachelor of arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a teaching fellow and completed her master’s degree in special education at UNC Charlotte. She is currently in the final stages of completing a doctorate program and expects to finish the endeavor this spring. According to Dustin Farmer, principal of Ashe County Middle School, “Words cannot express what Mrs. Grubb means to ACMS. What she accomplishes with students in her classroom is phenomenal and cannot be measured by a standardized test. She is genuine in everything she does and is a huge advocate for the exceptional children’s population. “She thinks outside the box in her classroom and is never satisfied, always researching new ways to increase student learning. As great as she is in the classroom, she is an even better person. We are so proud of Mrs. Grubb and her accomplishments. We support her as she moves on to the regional and hopefully, state level (for teacher of the year honors).” Since 1970, North Carolina has participated in this program recognizing outstanding teachers, officials said. The Teacher of the Year Program provides an opportunity to honor and recognize exemplary teachers in North Carolina and to call attention to the importance of the teaching profession. AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

Maddie B. is a teen mom who, in conjunction with the education and support from the Teen Parenting Program, found the motivation and inspiration to become the mom she envisioned for herself and her daughter. Photo submitted

The Road to

by Moriah Stegall, Teen Parenting Program Coordinator

Educate. Support. Inspire. This is our creed at the Children’s Council of Watauga County. Each program we offer is designed to meet children and families where they are on their parenting journey. We build upon the strengths of children, families and educators by investing resources, information and training toward promoting the future health and success of our greatest community asset — our children. This motto is our impetus behind each of our programs. Both our creed and our mission were created from the heart of what we believe will

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

make our community a stronger and more vibrant place for children — and that is through empowerment of the people surrounding them. What does empowerment even mean? To empower someone is to grant them power or authority; it is a verb. When the word morphs into a noun, such as empowerment, it takes on the added concept of being invested with such power or authority. Julian Rapport a social psychologist coined the phrase “empowerment” in the 1980s, and the concept behind empowerment

continues to changes as time goes on. According to Wikipedia, “Empowerment refers to policies and measures designed to increase the degree of autonomy and self-determination in the lives of people and in communities in order to enable them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. Empowerment refers both to the process of self-empowerment and to professional support of people, which enables them to overcome their sense of powerlessness and lack of influence, and to recognize and eventually use their resources and chances.” This is the kind of definition you might expect if you were to talk to a social worker, psychologist or other helping professional who works daily with others looking for someone or something to work with them in overcoming an obstacle. One of the ways in which the Children’s Council weaves empowerment throughout our work is through the Teen Parenting Program. Any pregnant or parenting teen, 19 or younger and committed to finishing school, is eligible to join the program. Teens enter the program for help with finishing school, delivering and raising healthy children and working toward personal goals. Group meetings, field trips to community resources and developmentally appropriate play groups are designed specifically for the younger parents to educate them on a wide variety of relevant topics such as car care, balancing budgets, child development, study skills and how to find and utilize community resources. Each parent also receives one-on-one support from the program coordinator through weekly contact and monthly home visits — specifically tailored to their individual needs. Parents are encouraged to become inspired, to dream big for themselves and their children. to make goals and work toward them. Just as every snowflake is beautifully unique, so is each person’s journey into parenthood. Maddie B. is a teen mom who, in conjunction with the education and support from the Teen Parenting Program, found the motivation and inspiration to become the mom she envisioned for herself and her daughter. As Maddie became more confident in herself and her parenting style, she, in

turn, became an inspiration for other young parents. She was an encourager for those struggling in school, a voice of soft reason for those trying to spread their wings and championed for others to ﬁnd their conﬁdence. Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Maddie:

“I chose to be homeschooled my last year to finish early before Meadow was born. It was more work to push through, but definitely worth it. I wanted to work with natural healing practices, so I became Reiki, level one, certified. I really enjoyed the support from Moriah and the other young parents in the group meetings; I got a lot of emotional support and it really helped my emotional wellbeing. Oh, and the food was great for my cravings! The group meetings also helped me get the information I wanted and needed to be the mom I wanted to be for Meadow. I also got to earn incentives for Meadow and myself — and that really helped out. If I could give advice to other young parents, it would be to know that it is OK to be emotional. It is healthy — and if we teach our kids that emotions are healthy, then, maybe, they will have an easier time coping, because they will know it is OK. The teen program helped me out so much when I had nowhere else to go. They were there with so much love for my unborn baby and me. They helped provide me with things needed for my baby, as well as emotional help I needed during pregnancy. It would have been a lot harder if this service wasn't provided for me and my family.”

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AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

Local agencies benefit from

Women’s Fund From left, Faye Cooper, Jennifer Herman and Jenny Miller are pictured at the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge’s grantee luncheon. Photo by Mary Jo Grubbs

More than 100 people, mostly women, gathered at the Blowing Rock Conference Center April 19 for the annual Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge grantee luncheon. In addition to the food and fun socializing, all present heard stories from representatives from area nonproﬁt organizations dedicated to better the lives of women and children in northwestern North Carolina. “We heard such great stories from each of the agencies we serve,” says Karen Sabo, executive director of the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge. “People from the Ashe Family Literacy program teach English as a second language. The classes are open to both men and women but almost all of the students are women. A woman from Mexico who spoke practically went through the program and in three years was able to earn her GED. It really helped her ﬁnd a good 44

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

job to provide for her children,” she says. “The Hospitality House brought in a woman who was in the prison system and had lost custody of her children. She had nowhere to go when she got out of prison — and her parole officer drove her to the Hospitality House. She is now in school and has custody of her children. She is working to become a counselor for people with addictions. She was so brave to come to the luncheon and tell her story,” Karen continues. Groups represented at the WFBR grantee luncheon included the Appalachian Commitment to a College Education for Student Success, A Safe Home for Everyone, the Ashe County Partnership for Children, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, the Children’s Council of Watauga County, Community Care Clinic, Domestic Abuse is Not Acceptable, Girls on the Run of the High Country, Hospitality House, Hunger and Health

Coalition, Mitchell County Safe Place, Lees-McRae College’s New Opportunity School for Women, Opposing Abuse with Service, Information and Shelter (OASIS), WAMY Community Action, Watauga Crisis Assistance Network (WeCAN) and the Western Youth Network. The Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge formed three years ago when the Appalachian Women’s Fund and the High Country Women’s Fund merged. In its 2015 grant cycle, the WFBR allocated $107,000 to 16 organizations that serve women and children. The Women’s Fund has now cumulatively given out more than $1 million since the funds began. For more information, visit www.womensfundoftheblueridge.org.

Jeff Eason Editor, The Blowing Rocket jeff.eason@mountaintimes.com

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JOINING FORCES to Do

GOOD There’s a lot in the national news lately about opioid addiction

Helping to “bring it all together” are, seated from left: Christa Capua, clinical director and COO, Stepping Stone, and Alice Salthouse, CEO of High Country Community Health; standing are Stacey Harris, CFO, HCCH and Erin Caparolie, office manager, Stepping Stone. Photo by Yogi Collins

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

and the detrimental impact it has on families and communities. In fact, while the U.S. has only five percent of the world’s population, we receive 80 percent of opioid medication prescriptions. With the addictive nature of opioids, a high rate of addiction is not surprising, but it means affordable and accessible treatment is imperative to the people who fall victim, especially in rural areas that typically have limited treatment options. Without successful intervention, many people who become dependent on prescription painkillers develop a heroin habit. In fact, as many as four out of five heroin users were first addicted to prescription painkillers. High Country Community Health and Stepping Stone, both of Boone, have teamed up to provide treatment to opioid addicts, as a result of receiving a $379,000 federal grant aimed at expanding health services to combat the growing number of overdose deaths in this country related to opioids. When Alice Salthouse, CEO of High Country Community Health, first learned of the grant, she knew from personal experience what a difference integrated services could make in the lives of people struggling to overcome addiction.

“I lost two of my brothers as a result of addiction, and I’ve seen the effects of it on my children as I’ve served as a fulltime parent for two of my granddaughters,” she explains. “Battling addiction is much like battling diabetes and other chronic diseases. It takes discipline, support, behavior changes and medication assistance. With the partnership between HCCH and Stepping Stone, we are able to offer treatment that includes primary medical care, behavior health services and appropriate medications to a wider population of individuals. I just wish something like this had been available for my brothers.” While the collaboration allows for wider reach within the community, it’s a relatively new model in practice, says Christa Capua, clinical director of Stepping Stone of Boone. “This is brand new territory for everyone involved. I know that integrated healthcare, i.e., providing a variety of services, say, dental, medical and mental health all on one site, is gaining a lot of momentum nationwide, but I don’t know if a collaboration like this has been done before. But, when our teams started getting together to discuss the grant opportunity, we realized that our goals work together perfectly, that we are all passionate about community health issues and that we have a number of common patients.” The women of both agencies are nothing if not passionate — as well as compassionate — about their patients, many of who never considered themselves the “type” to become addicts. “Many people become addicted to pain medication after having an injury or health problem,” says Christa “One of our goals is to reduce the bias and stigma attached to addiction.” Alice agrees. “Many people who have family members with addictions keep it a secret because of the shame and embarrassment involved,” she says. “In order for us, as a community, to overcome this epidemic of addiction, we need to bring it into the light.” By working together across agency lines, HCCH and Stepping Stone are doing just that, says Erin Caparolie of Stepping Stone. “By working together, we provide several examples of strong women who have overcome adversity to become stronger and contribute to society and the lives of those we care about. This helps us

‘Battling addiction is much like battling diabetes and other chronic diseases. It takes discipline, support, behavior changes and medication assistance. With the partnership between HCCH and Stepping Stone, we are able to offer treatment that includes primary medical care, behavior health services and appropriate medications to a wider population of individuals. I just wish something like this had been available for my brothers.’ - alice salthouse give hope to women who are struggling and to celebrate with our patients as they overcome barriers and milestones in their lives and in recovery.” Celebrating recovery with individual clients is a hallmark of the women who work at both HCCH and Stepping Stone; it’s their pot of gold at the end of the recovery rainbow and energizes them to continue their work. That’s exactly why Alice and Stacy Harris, CFO of HCCH, knew the two companies, with similar missions, would mesh so well. “The main reason I’m so excited about the collaboration,” says Stacy, “is that it will not only give more people care, but also primary medical care to those individuals. Stepping Stone and HCCH worked together for many months to apply for the grant. Now that we’ve been awarded the grant, the ‘fun’ work gets to start. It has been amazing to watch how Stepping Stone

and HCCH have come together to work out all the details.” And it will be amazing to see the fruit of their labor in the High Country. To contact Stepping Stone with questions or to set up an appointment for treatment, call (828) 265-7078 or email to info@steppingstoneofboone.com. High Country Community Health can be reached at www.highcountrycommunityhealth.com.

Yozette ‘Yogi’ Collins Mom, television producer/writer, and obsessive internet researcher. Though her name suggests otherwise, she is not (yet) an actual yogi.

AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

Picnic on the Parkway

Savor the Summer Summer makes its official appearance this month and with it comes countless opportunities to pack a basket and head out to the Blue Ridge Parkway, or gather with family and friends in your own backyard, to enjoy an afternoon picnic. Hopefully, a few of our seasonal ideas will help to make it a fun and special time to remember.

JUNE 2016 | AAWMAG.COM

Chicken and Fruit Salad 4 cups chopped or sliced grilled chicken 1 fresh pineapple, cored and cut into bite-size pieces 2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered 1 cup fresh raspberries ¼ cup chopped fresh mint Lettuce or salad greens of choice Arrange ﬁrst ﬁve ingredients as desired on lettuce or salad greens. Just before serving, drizzle with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe below)

Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing 1 cup orange juice 1 cup olive oil 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 2 garlic cloves Salt and pepper to taste Mix well before drizzling on salad. May be refrigerated ahead of time.

Fresh Tomato Pie 9-inch deep-dish piecrust 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 3 Tbs. chopped basil, divided 3 medium-size tomatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1½ Tbs. olive oil ¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. pepper Prick sides and bottom of piecrust with fork. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Sprinkle cheese evenly into crust and top with 2 Tbs. basil. Arrange tomato slices on top, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on cookie sheet on lower rack of oven. Bake at 400 for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining basil. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Quick Zucchini Cake 1 box yellow cake mix 4 eggs 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 Tbs. vanilla extract 1 tsp. cinnamon 2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini ½ cup raisins (optional) ½ cup chopped nuts Confectioners’ sugar (optional) In mixing bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, oil, vanilla and cinnamon for 6-7 minutes. Fold in zucchini, raisins and nuts. Spoon into a greased and ﬂoured 10-inch ﬂuted tube or Bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes. Cool and dust with sugar, if desired.

Antipasto Skewers 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1 cup small-medium fresh mozzarella balls 1 can medium black olives ¼ pound salami, thinly sliced, each slice folded into triangle shape ¼ cup fresh basil leaves Cheese tortellini Balsamic glaze, for drizzling Skewers Prepare tortellini to al dente stage (not too soft) according to directions on box. Drain and set aside. For easy assembly of skewers, line up ingredients on kitchen counter in order of how you want them to appear, considering shapes and colors. Place tomatoes, cheese, olives, salami and tortellini onto skewers and then onto a platter. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and sprinkle with basil just before serving.

Easy Blueberry Bake 2 cups blueberries 1/3 cup sugar 1 can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained 1 pkg. white cake mix (without pudding) ½ cup chopped walnuts ¾ cup butter, melted Layer ﬁrst ﬁve ingredients in a greased 9x13-inch pan. Drizzle margarine over all. Bake for 1 hour at 350.

sherrie norris Editor, All About Women

AAWMAG.COM | JUNE 2016

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