All About Women May-June 2018

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Southern Charm in the High Country

HOME · GARDEN · GIFTS

215 Boone Heights Dr., Boone

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bbandminteriors@gmail.com

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www.thebeeandtheboxwood.com

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828.386.6212

You’re going on a picnic.

What’s in your basket?

PUBLISHER Kellen Short “In a dream world, I’ve packed a turkey sandwich on brioche with salad and fresh fruit. Realistically, it’s fried chicken, potato salad, Cheerwine and banana pudding. I can feel my waistband getting tighter already.”

Jessica Isaacs “Everything but the kitchen sink. I’d probably bring that, too, if I could find a way to haul it. You know... just in case.”

Melanie Davis Marshall “I would stuff a basket with leftovers that are good cold, like fried chicken, pickles on the side with a good, thick book and comfy blanket. If this is a picnic basket for two, maybe throw in a chess board or Bananagrams to pass the afternoon.”

Bonnie Church “A sketchpad, charcoal, watercolor paints and brushes, a bottle of water, kombucha, a jar of Kimchi, a hunk of sourdough bread from Stick Boy Bakery and an apple.”

Heather Jordan “Bottle of wine, Havarti cheese, grapes or pears, oventoasted turkey, provolone and avocado sandwiches with aioli, and dark chocolate, of course!”

Hollie Eudy “Strawberries, trail mix, fruit-infused water and a really good book!”

Gene Fowler

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Tom Mayer

EDITOR Anna Oakes editor@aawmag.com 828.278.3602

CONTRIBUTORS Heather Brandon Children’s Council of Watauga County Bonnie Church Marion Edwards Hollie Eudy Mary Gray Jessica Isaacs Heather Jordan Caroline Lawson Melanie Davis Marshall Laney Ruckstuhl Kellen Short Sue Spirit

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Meleah Bryan Brandon Carini Kristin Obiso

ADVERTISING 828.264.6397

Heather Brandon “The five basic food groups: brie, baguette, fruit, wine and dark chocolate!”

Sue Spirit “Well, definitely not deviled eggs! Hmmm, let’s see: I’d pack falafel balls, Nancy Nguyen’s spring rolls with peanut sauce, tzatziki, bruschetta, tofu salad sandwiches in pita pockets, a slab of brie, chocolate mousse and Aunt Rachel’s molasses cookies. Oh, and a dish of sugar for the ants!”

4 | May-June 2018

COVER PHOTO

by Caroline Lawson

Any reproduction of news articles, photographs or advertising artwork is strictly prohibited without permission from management. © 2018 Mountain Times Publications aawmag.com

CONTENTS

features 16

Amy Fiedler

19

Melinda Brown

22 High Country Food Hub 23 Danielle Stewart of the Mustard Seed Market 26 Caroline Gandy & Valle Crucis Park

relationships 9

Mom’s World: Mountains and Sea

10

Children’s Council: Moms for Moms

homestead 12

Grandma’s Garden

14

Hillbetty Revival: Garden Patch Prep

food & drink

16

29 Grow an Indoor Herb Garden

26

32 leisure 30 Travel: Changing the World

health 32 Beauty: Face Oils 33 Living Well: Brain Boosters

in every issue 6

Editor’s Note

7

Women in the News

34 By the Book

36

36 Young at Heart 37

All About Town

May-June 2018 | 5

editor’s

Relaxing by a mountain stream makes for a great spring day in early May.

aawnc

6 | May-June 2018

note

Well it’s only May, and my vegetables are already off to an underwhelming start. I’ve had some luck direct-sowing spinach in late February in the past — but that was then, before this so-called spring we just had.

A frigid March and cool April meant that when my spinach leaves finally crawled out of the ground and reached a size barely large enough for harvest, BAM! Blazing hot unseasonably warm May temperatures send my tender greens bolting for the heavens.

Alas, unpredictability and disappointment are signature features of my home gardening experience, but I keep coming back again and again, a perennial glutton for punishment who thinks every year is gonna be my year.

My ongoing gardening challenge of the past three years has been adapting to living on a north-facing slope — the “dark side of the moon,” as I’ve woefully nicknamed it — where nary a sliver of my yard receives the six to eight hours of full sun that many plants need.

So goodbye, tomatoes — you were difficult enough in the direct sun. But oh how I miss those peppers; they were sweet, hot, and mostly agreeable. I’ve continued to experiment with and embrace the veggies that do manage an existence on this cool, damp hillside, namely greens, greens, oh, and greens. And green beans.

So if you’re like me, you can never get enough good gardening advice, and this issue of All About Women is full of it — whether you like to grow fruits and vegetables, flowers or both.

Enjoy the issue, and meanwhile, I wish you a summer of abundant sunshine and ample rain, without blight and free of pests! Hey, we can dream!

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Women in the News Sirens on the Mountain To Be Held June 23

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Melissa Reaves performs at 2016’s Sirens on the Mountain festival. Reaves will be a featured performer this year, also.

n June 23, the fifth annual Sirens on the Mountain music festival will take place at the recently refurbished venue known as the New River Barn in Todd. Located at 839 River Road in Todd, the New River Barn will be ready for camping, live music and many activities with the historic New River running through the grounds.

The lineup for this year’s Sirens on the Mountain music festival will include Melissa Reaves, the band Stevie, Tea Cup Gin, Shenette Swann, Alexa Rose and Mexican Hot Chocolate.

Beth Carroll has been with the Sirens on the Mountain music festival since the beginning and is excited about the improvements at the New River Barn venue as well as the music lineup scheduled for 2018.

“This will be the second year that the festival will take place at the New River Barn,” said Carroll. “Although it will be a one-day festival as far as music, we are going to let people camp there in our large field and along the river. It is a lovely place located on the banks of the New River near Todd. It is maybe a 10- to 15-minute drive from Boone. My family has been fixing up the barn and this year we will have our late night set of music in there. So, we will be shutting down the outside music at 11 p.m. and bringing the jams into the barn afterwards.”

More information on the festival as well as ticket, vendors and camping information can be found at sirensonthemountain.com.

Festivalgoers ready for a day of music and weekend of camping at a past Sirens on the Mountain festival in Todd.

- Derek Halsey

Ashe County’s Next Top Model

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uring the last three years, one Ashe County child has started to make a name for herself modeling throughout the state.

Emmi Cheek, a sixth-grade student from Westwood Elementary, has modeled for various jobs, including being featured in multiple Belk circulars.

“I always had people tell me when she was a baby that I needed to get her in (to modeling), but I wanted to wait until she was old enough to decide whether she wanted to do it or not,” her mother, Liz Cheek, said. “She was 9 when we first started.”

Emmi’s first job was in Atlanta, modeling for a company called LAT Apparel. She has had many jobs as of late, including four jobs with Belk in Charlotte, and she is managed by Directions USA. Emmi said her favorite shoot was with Belk during an Easter shoot, where confetti was thrown in with the models. She also enjoyed another shoot where the models were shaped into a large snowflake for multiple shots.

Not only has she been in circulars, but the 12-year-old model has also dabbled in commercials. Receiving two call backs for a commercial for the Biltmore Estate, Emmi was eventually passed over in the end when a younger child was cast. Despite not being chosen, Emmi enjoyed the experience and took a lot away from the opportunity.

- Colin Tate

Emmi Cheek has been modeling for three years. She was recently in the Easter circular for Belk.

May-June 2018 | 7

Women in the News ZAP Fitness Runners Finish in Boston Marathon Top 10

A Nicole DiMercurio

Joanna Thompson

pril’s Boston Marathon was held under some of the most grueling weather conditions in the race’s 122-year history. Runners endured wind gusts of more than 25 miles per hour, heavy downpours and some of the coldest April temperatures of all time.

Three Blowing Rock-based runners put their training in the mountains to good use during the annual event, landing in the top ten finishers among men and women.

All are runners who train with ZAP Fitness, based in the Blackberry community just south of Blowing Rock.

In the women’s division of the Boston Marathon, ZAP Fitness runners Nicole DiMercurio and Joanna Thompson finished sixth and 10th overall with times of 2:45:52 and 2:48:31, respectively. DiMercuiro competed for the University of Georgia while Thompson was a track star at North Carolina State University.

American Desaray Linden won the 2018 Boston Marathon with a time of 2:39:54.

In the men’s division of the Boston Marathon, ZAP Fitness runner Tyler Pennel finished in fourth place with a time of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 57 seconds.

Pennel, who competed with Western State College of Colorado before joining ZAP Fitness, was coming off of a 2:15 performance in the Fukuoka Marathon last December and an eighth-place finish in the New York City Marathon in the fall of 2016.

Yuki Kawauchi of Japan won the 2018 Boston Marathon with a time of 2:15:58.

ZAP Fitness was founded in 2001 and is sponsored by Reebok.

- Jeff Eason

Church Co-Writes Book with Former NFL Players

A

Boone woman and regular All About Women contributor recently served as a contributing writer for a book alongside two former Philadelphia Eagles NFL players for a method of success called the “victors code.”

Bonnie Church helped to write “The Last Laugh” with Dennis Franks and Vince Papale — who both played for the Eagles in the early 1970s. Church said the three met in January 2017 in Banner Elk and had the book published by the following November.

The book received its name after a famous photo that currently hangs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Ohio, titled “The Last Laugh.” The photo — showing Franks and Papale laughing together — was taken after a winning game that helped reverse the Philadelphia Eagles’ losing streak and took them to the Super Bowl. “(The title explains) that you can overcome the obstacles to your success,” Church said. “Don’t let other people’s opinions about what you can do or can’t do stop you. Just go for it with passion and you can enjoy the last laugh.”

The book chronicles seven codes to success — vision, vehemence, vitality, valor, veracity, vigor and victory. Church said the book starts out with vision and how to create a clear goal statement.

“You learn from your successes and you learn from your failures,” Church said. “If we’re really smart, we’re willing to sit at the feet of people who have had experiences and we can learn from them.”

Church is the former director of High Country Host and said she’s always had her hand in writing. She said she’s done feature writing for newspapers, blogging and freelance ghost writing. In all, she said she’s substantially contributed to eight books and plans to contribute to a couple more over the next few years.

Dennis Franks, Bonnie Church and Vince Papale sign books at a book signing event in February in Miami.

Photo submitted

- Kayla Lasure 8 | May-June 2018

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Relationships

MOM’S WORLD

Mountains and Sea As I put on my wool sweater at the close of April, summer truly feels a long way off, even if I know it is just around the corner. This late winter and spring has felt like Mother Nature can’t make up her mind, with temperatures that fluctuate from 20s to 70s in the blink of an eye.

What keeps me going through the mood swings of Mother Nature is the promise that warmer weather is coming.

Songs start floating into my subconscious such as, “Summer Nights” from “Grease,” where I hear in my head a very young Olivia Newton-John musing on summer romance, and then I travel back to sitting atop a lifeguard’s chair in Lynchburg, hearing a gritty Janis Joplin belting out the song “Summertime” on the pool radio.

Certainly, summertime is a time when the hot weather drives most everybody into pools, lakes, oceans and sometimes

into air-conditioning, and vacation is on everyone’s brain, even though it’s typically just the kids (and teachers) that get a summer break for two months.

I love that we live in an area where mountains and streams beckon for climbing, hiking and camping, and that the relative close proximity of North Carolina beaches can tempt any of us away for a long weekend for a brief escape. Growing up, we typically took a camping trip to Acadia National Park in Maine. As an adult, I think this was probably one of the coolest things in the world; however, back then, all I wanted was to do was what all my friends were doing, which was going to an over-commercialized section of Myrtle Beach to “cruise the strip,” play video games and maybe get in the water every once in a while. My dad succumbed to the endless teenage pleading and eventually took us to Myrtle Beach when

I was 14 or 15 years old. It was hot and fairly miserable from what I recall, but at that point in my teenage life, I certainly wouldn’t have admitted it.

As I’ve gotten older, I have become more and more appreciative of the peacefulness and vastness of the ocean and love to visit Topsail Island, where our family has gone for over 15 years. I’m pretty content to sit in a chair and read a book, looking up periodically to stare at the waves (and my kids boogie-boarding through them) and getting up to cool off and participate in some wave-jumping as well. With my sisters, my kids, nieces and nephew, and sometimes one or both of my parents, we form the human chain and challenge the sea, making brave exclamations at the large waves. Of course, the adults wear out more quickly than the children, but we do our best to keep up.

There is plenty of beach-combing, shark tooth collecting and fort building.

Since the time that my oldest was 2 or 3 years old until now when my youngest is 11, the kids still anticipate the ocean sweeping in to collapse the last of the fortifications of their sandy monument, hoping to hold up against Neptune and his cohorts. The sun setting, we return to the condo, eat and relax, and then return to the beach again in the dark with flashlights, seeking out the biggest crabs to capture with our big nets.

I suspect that part of the appeal of the mountains and sea are similar in that experiencing them brings us to the reality that we are minuscule in this universe, barely noticeable to the expanse of a rock face or the depth of an ocean. While sometimes this is fear-provoking, it is also a release. Whatever travail or worry is bogging me down no longer carries the same weight when I look upward to the peak of Grandfather Mountain or outward to the Atlantic Ocean. Even when I and my troubles are long gone, the mountains and sea will still be here. Soaking in the sunshine, water lapping at my toes, that’s a reality with which I can live.

heather jordan, CNM, MSN Comments or questions?

828.737.7711, ext. 253 landh@localnet.com

May-June 2018 | 9

Relationships

Moms for Moms Support to Overcome Perinatal, Postpartum Distress

BY SOPHIE RUDISILL CHILDREN’S COUNCIL OF WATAUGA COUNTY

The birth of an infant marks the beginning of a significant change in the life of a family. Welcoming a child conjures future hopes and expectations of happy first moments: gazing at a first smile, listening to first coos and babbles, enjoying first family holidays and vacations.

While this first year can be full of exciting opportunities for a family, it is 10 | May-June 2018

not without its challenges. The first year of parenthood has been referred to as the most challenging year as parents navigate changes in their roles and identities and learn how to take care of the newest family member. These challenges can be made all the more complicated by the presence of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders.

PMADs, often referred to as post-

partum depression, anxiety or distress, are the most common complication after childbirth, affecting between 15-20 percent of women. While 60-80 percent of mothers who have recently given birth may experience “baby blues” — a brief period of moodiness that may last a few days or a week after delivery — PMADs affects women longer, potentially starting during pregnancy and lasting up through aawmag.com

the first year. A new mother experiencing postpartum distress may feel anxiety, irritability, anger, sadness, guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, low energy and lack of interest in activities, disturbances in sleep and/or appetite, physical aches and pains and sometimes thoughts of suicide.

This distress is not limited to individuals of a certain race, age, culture or class; even partners and parents who adopt can experience symptoms. While normal hormonal shifts after birth can contribute to heightened mood changes for any woman, other emotional and environmental factors can also make her more vulnerable to these symptoms. Factors such as difficulty breastfeeding, lack of sleep and financial or job stress can all have a significant impact on a mom’s emotional wellbeing.

Despite being so common, PMAD remains stigmatized in our society. The idea that motherhood is an idyllic time in a growing family can create stress and shame when this expectation is not realized. This stigma can lead to a mother feeling like she cannot reach out, often deepening a sense of isolation and loneliness. Untreated depression and anxiety in new mothers can prolong symptoms unnecessarily, adding stress and unhappiness for the whole family.

Fortunately, there are resources that can help mothers navigate these challenges. Perhaps the most basic resource is being able to let a mother share her experience without judgment. An empathetic listener who gives a mother space to voice her experience is essential. A mother who is facing these challenges needs to know she is not alone, that this is not her fault, and that there is support for her to overcome this difficult and temporary period. With help, she will be well.

Moms for Moms is a support group offered through The Children’s Council for pregnant and new mothers who are experiencing any kind of perinatal or postpartum distress. Moms for Moms offers a safe, non-judgmental environment for mothers to both give and receive support and validation with other peers who are facing similar challenges. Moms are also able to learn about community resources and gain tools and understanding about postpartum distress that can help them feel empowered as they move through this challenging time.

Moms for Moms has been running for just over a year and is already making a difference. In a recent evaluation, the majority of respondents reported that their attendance in Moms for Moms helped to improve their bond with their children and partner, as well as increased their confidence in themselves as mothers. In fact, the majority of moms who responded identified noticing a reduction in symptoms and an improvement in their ability to perform their daily responsibilities.

Perhaps most importantly, moms that participated identified feeling supported, understood and less alone in their experience in motherhood.

“Moms for Moms gave me strength and support when I needed it most. Postpartum mood disorders are hard to work through even if you have a supportive partner and network of family/friends,” said a mother of one child. “This group helped me connect with others suffering at the same time, other mothers that understood and could empathize with me.

I always felt like I was in a safe environment and could really open up.”

“I experienced PMAD after all my babies, with it increasing in intensity each time,” said a mother of three. “This was the first time I received help from a support group and felt I was able to talk more honestly with my family and others because of the support I got at the group.

I could own my feelings, name them and therefore be able to move on instead of being stuck thinking I’m crazy and alone.”

Moms for Moms is offered free of charge through The Children’s Council.

The group meets every Thursday of each month at Bluebird Exchange from 10-11:30 a.m. Moms who are interested in attending can contact the facilitator, Sophie Rudisill, for more information and for registration.

You can reach Sophie by email at SophieRudisill@thechildrenscouncil.org or by calling The Children’s Council at (828) 262-5424.

If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of postpartum depression or anxiety, reach out. Postpartum Support International offers more information about PMADs, in addition to resources for mothers and their support systems: visit www.postpartum.net or call the helpline at (800) 944-4773.

dessert counter • cookies • ice cream • catering/ events 3551 US Highway 321 South Blowing Rock, NC 28605 Tuesday-Sunday 2:00-11:00pm www.bluedeercookies.com

May-June 2018 | 11

Homestead

Grandma’s Garden Gardening Advice from the Savviest Green Thumb I Know When I think about my grandma’s house, I do not picture it in the winter — though a few sparse plants remain long after the Appalachian snow storms have taken their toll. For as long as I can remember, she has had a green thumb and an eye for landscaping.

My grandma’s name is Susan Miller, but she’s known to many in Boone and beyond simply as “Grandma.” In the Vilas home she’s lived for over a decade now, the blossoms always seem to pop up like magic. There is a garden in both the woods that line the rear of her property and amid rocks and a gravel driveway in the front of the house. But it does not get that way on its own.

In fact, Grandma admittedly spends most of the year preparing. Before plants can be picked out, a lot of other factors have to be considered.

I asked her about her process, how to pick the perfect spot and what plants grow best in Appalachia.

Picking the Perfect Spot The first factor to consider when you’re choosing a spot for your garden should be its life source: the sun.

“Where does the sun come up in your garden or in your space?” Grandma asks. “Where is south? The sun comes up in the east every morning, and then it swings around your property until it goes down in the evening and you need to know what the exposure is.”

Once you’ve got the light figured out, focus on the terrain. If you can, place your garden somewhere the terrain is fairly level. If that’s not possible — which is likely in the mountains — a slight slope is OK. Consider what’s nearby. Too many large trees will drop unwanted seeds and small sticks.

The roots can be a huge problem during planting, too, Grandma says.

After that, she says, you have to decide how you want to use the space. In her case, the front garden is the backdrop for her front porch: a gathering place for everything from casual family dinners to formal tea parties for a political cause. Are you hosting guests, or do your kids need a place to play? Think about this and how 12 | May-June 2018

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Plants don’t usually like to touch each other — they’re kinda like little kids in the back of the car.

- Susan Miller it will be incorporated.

The Lay of the Land Once you’ve got your eyes set on the right site, you should get to know it further. After sun exposure, Grandma says the next most important attribute is soil type.

To understand the soil you’re working with, you can get a testing kit from your local Cooperative Extension office or a gardening retailer for under $10. Grandma recommends taking a few samples from different places in the garden.

Figure out whether the soil is acidic or neutral, and what its quality is. This will help you decide which plants work best in your yard. If the soil is low quality, don’t worry — add a thin layer of aged manure or compost.

“If you’re trying to do a garden on a budget, make sure that you give yourself the best chances you can,” Grandma says.

“The way to do that is start with good soil.”

Next, think about whether there are any obstacles you need to account for in planning your garden. Are there rocks, or a slope? Is your yard often visited by deer or rabbits? Decide how you’re going to tackle these things.

For Grandma, this has moving a lot of rocks around her front yard and working around trees in the back, but the goal wasn’t a clean slate. Her front yard incorporates the rocks as part of the garden, and the back is more of an addition to the existing greenery offered by the forest’s edge.

“Another thing people have to think about when they start to consider gardening in the mountains is who else lives where I do?” she said. “I’m not talking about humans, I’m talking about deer, groundhogs — groundhogs eat everything. There are moles and voles and rabbits.”

In terms of pests, it’s best to know what plants they don’t enjoy eating, she

says. Stay away from flowers and berries they find attractive. But also, she says, learn to coexist.

“If you have dreams of tulips in the spring, you better move someplace else.”

Choosing Your Garden’s ‘Bones’ Every seasoned gardener knows the skeleton of a good plot is its trees and shrubs. Choose your bones first, grandma says, and fill in the rest later.

For southern Appalachia, she recommends shrubs that make berries, such as blackberry, raspberry, beautyberry and viburnum bushes. Azaleas and rhododendrons are also great flowering options.

Usually, when planning a garden, she draws it out on paper like a map — but this requires careful calculation as well.

“With shrubs and other large plants, like ornamental trees, consider that these shrubs and trees are not going to stay whatever size they are when you bring them home in a pot,” she said. “Whatever the instructions are for planting really need to be followed. Plants don’t usually like to touch each other — they’re kinda like little kids in the back of the car.”

Make sure you leave room for paths, too. Whether you plan on walking through your garden to contemplate life or only utilizing the paths for maintenance purposes, they’re important.

Perennials and Other Pretty Stuff Once you’ve done the hard work and preparation necessary, here’s where the creative juices can flow and the color palettes can be carefully selected. Picking out flowers and other small plants is the fun part, but Grandma says not to forget about what you’ve learned — think about sunlight, soil type and more when picking out your annuals and perennials.

“The next best place to start is to plan

your perennial plants and where they’re going to grow because you’re going to live with them year after year,” Grandma says. “They will eventually become much, much more important in terms of the space they’re going to achieve.”

Then, pick your annuals, which you will only live with for a season. Have fun with these — after all, they aren’t permanent.

She recommends sticking with native plants that will grow well in the climate, such as yarrow, daisies, garden phlox, peonies, iris and daylilies. Mountain wildflowers, ferns, ephemerals and herbs are a nice touch, too.

Tender Loving Care Last but not least, always put as much care into your plants after they’re in the ground as you did planning your garden, Grandma says.

This means weeding and watering regularly, and paying attention to how the water runs off the land, especially if that land is sloped.

Weed killer does come in handy sometimes, but Grandma says chemicals are harmful to both pollinating insects and your lovely flowers. She recommends mixing a quart of white vinegar, half a cup of water, a few drops of dish detergent and a teaspoon of salt. This formula won’t harm honey bees or birds, but it will take care of pesky dandelions.

Don’t forget to cut off the “dead heads” of plants after their blooms start to look less than lively.

“Often times, you will get another bloom” if you do this, Grandma says. “The purpose of the flower isn’t to please us.

It’s a way of attracting pollinators that will help carry the seed.”

Laney Ruckstuhl Laney Ruckstuhl is a former Watauga Democrat reporter who left the mountains for the big city to attend Boston University.

She is currently a metro correspondent for the Boston Globe.

May-June 2018 | 13

Homestead

Melanie’s garden plot is tilled and ready for planting. Photo by Melanie Davis Marshall

HILLBETTY REVIVAL

Garden Patch Prep Finally! A warm spell, dry enough to get going on the garden.

I have heard a couple theories when it comes to the timing of tilling a garden.

One theory being the first warm-ish dry spell is perfect timing, as the final frost will kill weed seeds. I tried that theory and saw zero reduction in weeds, but thankfully no reduction in plant growth. I will put that in the win column of testing, but head back to my tried and true till timing of when the weather is hitting 60 degrees with some regularity and at least three days without rain.

In about late April, when the rains are still pretty steady, I prep my space by pulling remnant plants, weeds and any sod that has taken root between fall and spring. Scraping the garden plot down to almost bare is much easier after heavy rain in addition to letting the top layer dry out a little faster in May, when rain14 | May-June 2018

free days are still a little hard to come in the mountains.

Tilling should be done when the garden spot is dry enough for a clump of soil to crumble with a light squeeze of hand.

If the soil clumps when squeezed, it is too wet and will lead to compacted soil. If tilled when too wet, the soil will compact, making it difficult for the roots of young plants to spread in addition to inhibiting water and air flows.

The same can be said for walking over your rows after tilling. Limiting the amount of walking on the freshly tilled area until rows are determined, set, and you are planting. The more foot traffic in the garden, the compact the soil becomes, undoing the hard work of tilling to loosen.

I prefer to maintain natural soil, though a little boost does help. I don’t strictly enforce organic standards, but my garden receives no chemical treatments.

While tilling, I work in manure and humus mixture to give the garden patch a boost of nutrients. Not having mastered the art of compost or cultivating my own humus, I buy bags of manure and humus mix. Maybe someday, I can learn how to maintain a compost pile without experiencing rot and not have to buy poo and decomposed leaves.

Around Mother’s Day I will start planting the hardier plants, cabbage, kale, potatoes, and then phase in plants over the next few weeks to be fully planted by the week after Memorial Day. I love these mountains, but the short growing season is tough.

Melanie Davis Marshall Melanie is a born-again Hillbetty attempting to revive her Appalachian roots. She lives in Creston with her two dogs and 21 chickens. aawmag.com

Women are active in driving the agriculture economy in the High Country. Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, for example, has established the High Country Food Hub — an online marketplace for local farms and producers — and offers many programs to educate and support area farmers. Learn more about two Vilas farmers who participate in BRWIA and the Food Hub.

May-June 2018 | 15

Feature

Springhouse Farm Amy Fiedler’s Beautiful Place PHOTOS BY CAROLINE LAWSON

On an eight-acre-farm in Vilas, Springhouse Farm owner Amy Fiedler admires the vibrant beauty of rows of cut flowers, her latest gardening venture. She walks the length of her high and low tunnels of lettuce varieties, marking their condition and growth. She checks on interns living on adjacent properties and those whose enthusiasm enhance her fields each season, each year.

She consults with her righthand woman, her mother Jean Fiedler, about deliveries, plans and the farm’s future. And, at the end of the day, month, season or year, Amy rests in her hard-won assertion: “There is something super healing about working in the dirt, being outside and growing things. The farm is a happy place.”

Raised in the suburbs of NYC, Amy spent summers on her grandparents’ farm in Indiana. She describes those times: “My memories are idyllic. Maybe it was the era, maybe because I was not running the farm. By 7 years old I was helping them bale hay for their cattle, dig worms from the cow manure to fish with a bamboo pole on one of their many ponds, and going to town only once a week for grocery shopping — we were city kids sent to the extreme country!”

Learning the value of hard work and the joy of growing things from an early age, Amy eventually made her way to WNC, and for the last 10 of her 20 years spent in Boone, Amy has experienced the joy and heartache of owning her own farm.

Springhouse Farm has grown considerably during Amy’s tenure. At first only working a quarter-acre to now working all eight acres of the land, she poignantly explains, “Farming is hard work. I have to say that I have a deeper appreciation for so many things not

just related to actually growing food. Being in such connection with nature each day has made me more aware of so many things — weather patterns, bird migration, the changing seasons. It’s a hyperawareness of everything around me at every moment.”

Through a process of experiment and discovery, Amy continues to determine “what grows well here” and build on that.

With shiitake logs, chickens, pigs, fruit trees, varieties of lettuce, vegetables, herbs, blueberries, raspberries, kale, edible flowers, various types of squash and even more, Amy’s list of what works for Springhouse is ever-evolving and expanding.

The success Amy has experienced in farming comes from patience, hard work and surrounding herself with a network of people who are equally passionate about locally grown food and the power of community. Working closely with head chef Bill Greene of Banner Elk’s esteemed Artisanal restaurant, Amy delivers fresh food to his venue biweekly.

“What we grow, he turns into art,” she remarks.

In both the fall and spring, Amy and Bill reflect on what has worked well and what hasn’t. “We are constantly collaborating to find the perfect blend of fresh fruits and vegetables for his menus.” Further, Amy is involved “with the Food Hub, Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, local farmers, CSA members and our extension agency. We are fortunate to be a part of a vibrant community that realizes the value of local food and small farmers.”

Although there were times in her first years of farming that were heartbreaking, Amy continues to wrap herself in the words her father shared with her Continued on page 18

16 | May-June 2018

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her while she sat on her front porch and watched the floods of 2013 wash her crops away: “Just keep going. Sit on the porch, relax, and realize there’s nothing you can do to change it. When one thing fails, something else will succeed.” The farm — in all its trial and error — continues to prove Amy’s father right.

Regarding the future, Amy hopes to teach others about raising food “from backyard gardeners to farmers trying to make a living growing food. I want to teach people what’s worked and what hasn’t.

There’s a whole history behind that! Farming connects you to every aspect of life, from the hardships to the joy of an abundant crop and an appreciation for what you do. I also want to extend the healing aspects of working on a farm to other people.”

With her shirt sleeves rolled up, Amy Fiedler continues to dig, plant, grow, and connect on her farm. And, as she extols, “it is a beautiful place.”

Hollie Eudy Hollie Eudy is an English teacher who loves stories, words and the Appalachian Mountains.

Amy and her mother Jean work at the farm.

Amy’s Couscous Salad “Every Wednesday we enjoy sharing a big lunch with our employees on the farm. We make use of the vegetables that are in season.

“Big salads are always appreciated on warm days. This salad is always different based on the vegetables we have on hand.”

1 cup pearl couscous Bring 1 1/2 cups water to boil. Add 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. butter. Add couscous, cover pan and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add vegetables, which may include the following: Lightly steam 1 to 2 ears of corn and add kernels to the salad 1 zucchini, sliced and lightly steamed to al dente 1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped 1 cucumber, chopped 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped 4 spring onions, chopped 1 cup kale, thinly chopped carrots, shredded 1 can organic garbanzo beans, drained and washed Dressing: 2 Tb. red wine vinegar 2 Tb. balsamic vinegar 3 Tb. olive oil Fresh ground pepper and salt Chill. Before you serve, top with crumbled feta cheese and dill.

18 | May-June 2018

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Feature

The work on a farm is never done.

Melinda Brown Enjoying a Simple Life PHOTOS BY CAROLINE LAWSON

There is always another fence to repair, another animal to tend to or another tunnel of plants to cover before a storm. Melinda Brown of Never-Ending Farms in Vilas explains, “Farming is challenging.

I’ve had to learn that not everything will be done that day or even the next, and that’s okay.”

The wisdom of this hard-won philosophy undergirds each of Melinda’s passions to create a life and farm of “quality, functionality and safety.” Primarily a pig breeder, Melinda enjoys interacting with her animals, the community of farming and traveling in the off season. “I like a simple life, and I’m working hard to maintain it.”

Continued on next page

May-June 2018 | 19

Born in Illinois, Melinda’s family moved to Florida when she was 7. Learning to fish and scuba dive along with the benefits of work ethic and problemsolving, Melinda recalls, “When we were kids, the lessons of hard knocks were not so good at the time, but definitely paid off in life.” This resourcefulness inspired a series of self-started businesses that began at age 16, mowing yards by pulling a mower behind her bicycle, a landscaping and tree business and, eventually, farming.

It was on her first two-acre farm in Florida that Melinda discovered pigs.

“A friend gave me a wild pig they had caught. We were going to have a barbecue, but before we could process the pig it had babies. That is when I fell in love with pigs. I got into raising Chester whites and Yorkshires.”

Later, farming in Tennessee gave Melinda a view of the North Carolina mountains. It wasn’t long before she sold her property and business and set up a permanent residence across the state line in North Carolina on a “piece of property with a house and 50 acres, but no barn.

The workaholic I am, it didn’t take long to start putting up fence and building a beautiful barn.”

In the early ‘90s, Melinda bought her first pig from Paul Greene. “He had a hundred pigs all in an old chicken house.

He was an old timer and definitely didn’t believe in pasture raising his animals.

All the pigs were white, except for one, a red Duroc. I told Mr. Greene I wanted the red one. He said I’d never sell a red pig in this county, everybody wanted white pigs. I changed that. That was the beginning of everybody wanting colored pigs.”

Melinda was also one of the first to raise her pigs on pasture. “The old-timers that would come up and buy my piglets would always tell me I was just letting them run off that meat. But, that’s just what I did, and I had happy pigs back then for it.”

Melinda added peacocks, pheasants, emus, rheas, boar goats, cows and sheep to her farm. She participated in farm tours and “Heritage Days” through the Old Cove Creek School and enjoyed sharing her farm with children of various ages.

“It was such a learning experience for the kids, parents and me. It was always fun being Ms. Farmer Brown!”

20 | May-June 2018

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drink coffee on the porch and enjoy the view, the pigs don’t mind sleeping in.”

Her reason for success as a breeder is simple: “You have to interact with the pigs. You have to care for them and take time to understand them.”

Melinda’s goals are to maintain the credibility she has worked hard to establish and to continue to help out neighboring farmers whenever she can.

“I still really enjoy raising high-quality piglets for the farmers in our community.”

As for her future, she says, “I do still have my motorhome and get that itch once in a while to travel again, especially when it rains so much and you’re lucky your muck boots come to your knees. But, for now, life is great on the farm, so I guess I’ll just keep raising piglets for the local farmers, growing my garden, canning my food and enjoying the view from my porch.”

Hollie Eudy Hollie Eudy is an English teacher who loves stories, words and the Appalachian Mountains.

Melinda’s Favorite Pork Chops “Coat pork chops with a whipped egg, then put them in flour salt pepper. Sometimes I add Cajun seasoning or even garlic powder to the flour as well. Then, what makes them the best is you have to fry them in pork lard — no other lard works the same!

It has a more unique flavor, and people don’t realize pork lard is more healthy than just about any other type of oil you can use.

“It’s very easy to make your own lard by simply getting pork fat and putting it in your crockpot. Once it renders down, you can just ladle it off and put it in a mason jar. When it’s hot, the lid will seal and it will keep for a long, long time.

People just need to know they need to use fat from pastureraised pigs — not commercial confinement pigs.”

In 2001, life threw some unexpected curves and Melinda sold all but 10 acres of her farm. She traveled across the United States for the next decade, spending part of the year in her motorhome along with several months in Costa Rica. However, she never let go of North Carolina.

“I would park my motorhome in Florida and fly to Costa Rica for four or five months, then come back to NC where I would leave my truck parked up on the hill.” Eventually, Melinda reestablished her home, farm, and barn and began again breeding pigs. “I was amazed that a few people in the area remembered me from years ago. I got started right back up farrowing baby pigs.”

In 2015, Melinda was awarded the Outstanding Woman in Agriculture award. “That was a great turning point for me. I was able to apply for the Mary Bauer grant and was awarded money to help with fencing and gates.”

Through the Cooperative Extension Office in Watauga County, Melinda has learned how to artificially breed her pigs.

“This process has definitely kicked up the quality of my piglets by far. After lots of reading and video watching, I have learned to be quite successful. It’s like shopping in the Sears catalog to see who you want the next daddy to be!”

Melinda loves her pigs. “Pigs are really the cleanest animals on the farm. People don’t realize that, but if I had to sleep in the barn, it would be with the pigs. They are the perfect animals for me. They are high quality, intelligent animals. They can be a bit lazy sometimes, so in the mornings when I want to get up at 9 and May-June 2018 | 21

Feature

High Country Food Hub celebrates first anniversary

BY MARY GRAY

Editor’s Note: Our two featured farmers in this issue, Amy Fiedler and Melinda Brown, have products available via the High Country Food Hub — a convenient web marketplace for local ag products.

Shivonne Quintero, a regular High Country Food Hub customer, picks up her purchases.

Photo submitted

“Eat fresh, eat local” is a food trend that is promoted nationwide. Here in Watauga County, a small nonprofit has taken a step closer to providing locally grown, fresh food in the form of meats, chicken and duck eggs, baked goods, fresh vegetables and a variety of artisan goods.

It’s been one year since the High Country Food Hub opened its online doors to customers. From the start, the 22 | May-June 2018

High Country Food Hub has had active and financial support from elected officials in Boone and in the county and from the Watauga County Cooperative Extension.

The venture was started by Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture, a nonprofit organization that formed in 2003. BRWIA started as a group of women who wanted to farm but who had difficulty in obtaining financial help, in the form of loans,

and the technical support they needed.

BRWIA is working towards creating an equitable food system that protects the environment, alleviates hunger and poverty and improves community health. The women, along with one man, presently on their staff have a number of skills, a breadth and depth of experience and a deep commitment to sustainable development.

BRWIA works in Watauga, Ashe, Avery, Wilkes, Caldwell, Alleghany, Mitchell and Yancey counties and in Johnson County, Tenn.

In 2016 an opportunity arose to use some space on the lower level of the Cooperative Extension building. The High Country Food Hub was able to begin setting up a home in what had been a loading bay and storage area. The food hub has two walk-in freezers, a large walkin refrigerator and plenty of shelving for items not needing to be refrigerated or frozen. They are also planning a root storage area in the adjoining storage section of the Cooperative Extension building.

In its first year of operation, its producers have increased in number from eight at the start to around 42, while the number of customers ordering has risen from two a week to an average of 40 each week. Almost 250 individuals and families have now placed one or more orders.

Shannon Carroll, the Food Hub coordinator, said that they look forward to an increase in their customer base.

To join up for this online local shopping, visit highcountryfoodhub.localfoodmarketplace.com/Products. Product pickup is normally on Wednesday from 11.30 a.m. until 5.30 p.m. aawmag.com

Feature

Faith Like a Mustard Seed Danielle Stewart and Her Family’s Journey PHOTOS BY JESSICA ISAACS

Left: Danielle Stewart is pictured watering plants in the large greenhouse at the Mustard Seed Market.

Above & Below: Other scenes from around the garden center.

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

– Matthew 17:20

Faith like a mustard seed — according to the parables of Christ, it’s the difference between relying on our own abilities and trusting God to do incredible things in us, through us and for us. For Robb and Danielle Stewart, it was the key ingredient in turning a mountain roadside stand into one of the High Country’s most successful and beloved garden and gift destinations.

In many ways, the Stewarts were living the American dream in Charlotte when they felt called to take a leap of faith in the early 1990s. At the time, Robb was traveling a lot for business and Danielle was working for an architectural firm in

Atlanta and Charlotte. They were pregnant with their first child, Ian, and enjoying life in their dream home — a cottage that was near and dear to their hearts.

“We always wanted to have our own business from early on in our marriage.

Friends are often so intrigued by how we managed to create a business plan, move, finance it and create a startup. Well, there really was no business plan or financial backing — honestly, I didn’t even know what that was,” Danielle says. “We had a newborn, quit our jobs, sold our house and car and moved to Blowing Rock in the spring of 1992.

“My mom had been asked to pray for

an older lady who lost her husband in the fall of ’91 and had a little roadside stand she wanted to sell. That’s how the Mustard Seed Market was officially born. My husband, Robb, has been graced with an amazing personality, Godly strength and true grit — I wasn’t worried about jumping into this adventure with him.”

The roadside stand was the beginning of their journey, and they quickly moved into a trailer behind the shop. With a little anxiety and a lot of prayer, the Stewarts grieved their first home and the life they left behind as they kept the faith and Continued on next page May-June 2018 | 23

Pictured here, Danielle and Robb Stewart are now in their 27th season as owners of the Mustard Seed Market.

continued to work toward God’s plan for them; and the first step was to figure out what they wanted to sell.

“Our inherited inventory included NASCAR clocks, jams and honey, reading glasses, pocketbooks, hippie rug-type sweater things and lots of junk. The walls of our ‘building’ were blue tarps that rolled down every night and attached with clips to secure,” Danielle recalls. “Interestingly enough, the previous owner told us not to buy any plants to sell after June 5 because they wouldn’t sell.”

The Stewarts reopened the roadside stand on May 5, 1992, when they got their first taste of Mother Nature’s unpredictable tendencies in the High Country — an unexpected snow.

“I cried, and my angst about our decision started. I cried a lot in those early years, and I’m not a crier. We left a perfect little life with our newborn, two very good jobs, a dream starter home and two golden retrievers — for what?” Danielle says.

“That’s what I kept asking. It was a huge leap of faith. Our first year in business, we made $13,000 and owed $9,000 in taxes.

Again, I cried and thought, ‘What the heck are we doing?’”

Robb and Danielle scrambled to make ends meet for the first few years, which often meant taking on odd jobs and other work during the winter months and a four-year stint for Robb as a Christmas tree farm manager. Slowly but surely, though, their faith led them to find more security over time as their new life in the mountains and their garden center busi24 | May-June 2018

ness began to blossom.

“We kept going, stayed married, had another beautiful baby girl, got rid of the trailer and grew our business — literally,” said Danielle. “Family kept me sane, and it still does. We met our besties, and they still are. We learned to love and give grace to each other, and we still do.”

Today, the Stewarts are in their 27th season at the Mustard Seed Market, which is widely known as one of area’s preferred and most successful home and full-service garden centers. They specialize in hardy, unusual Japanese Maples, native trees, deer-resistant plants, annuals, herbs, perennials, blooming shrubs, unusual houseplants, succulents and edibles.

“We are known throughout the Southeast for our selection, quality and value.

Our customer base is often from off the mountain for that very reason,” Danielle notes. “We custom plant containers on and off site for local businesses, and our customers say walking through our nursery is like a botanical garden experience.”

The Mustard Seed’s design team offers start-to-finish landscape consultation and installation for shoppers on the hunt for a full-service experience. On site, the garden center itself is home to greenhouses blooming with color from wall to wall and a vast collection of vintage, rustic and elegant home embellishments inside the shop. In recent years, the Stewarts have also expanded to convert the shop and garden center into a oneof-a-kind Christmas market destination

Other scenes from around the garden center.

during the holiday season.

“Our customers have seen us grow over the last 27 years. They’ve watched our kids being raised in the shop. They know our worries with the care of my elder parents and they ask about our animals. Basically, they are our seasonal extended family,” Danielle says. “They were just as surprised and blessed as we were in 2008 with a crazy, fun little one late in life. Now we have three kids — ages 26, 24 and 9.”

Even with many years of hard work, sacrifices, tears and happy moments, Danielle and her family will be the first to admit that they are where they are because of what God has done for them.

“We stepped out in faith to start this business, named it as such and that has kept us going during the trying years.

Trying to build a business, stay married to your business partner and work with him 24/7, raise children, take care of ailing parents, be a mom, be a friend, be a wife — that is my hardest job,” she explains. “Our business consumes us. I’d like that not to happen, but it is what it is. We have a living inventory that needs constant attention. We love what we do and really love ministering to all of our team in many ways.

“Without constant prayer, I couldn’t get through one day of this adventure,” she adds. “I want people to say, ‘Those Stewarts — they’re real and I can see something different about them.’”

For those creative thinkers out there who want to build their own business aawmag.com

doing what they love, Danielle has some advice for learning to take a leap of faith.

“Jump in. Don’t be afraid. Don’t wait until you have enough money (although that would have made our early years way easier). Know that it takes tons of work — way more than anything you believe — and lots of sacrifice. Often, as in our case, the money doesn’t always follow the amount of time you put into something, but as long as you love it, it’s okay. It’s all worth it. Figure out your passions and work hard.”

Jessica Isaacs Jessica is a local writer who lives in western Watauga County with her husband, Ben, a firefighter, and her dog, Larry. She loves Jesus and, with their first baby on the way, looks forward to His latest miracle in her life.

Danielle Stewart and one of her team members work to maintain and water blooming plants in the garden center’s largest greenhouse.

Danielle's Tips for High Country Home Gardening Design recommendations for small spaces: “Make sure every plant counts — every leaf structure, every bloom — because your space is limited. Think "up." Try a gorgeous, brightly glazed pot filled with seasonal color. Limit your color to three tones with all the same hues for high impact.”

Some of Danielle’s favorites that thrive in the High Country climate: “I’m a texture girl. Blooms are wonderful, but give me a messy pot with a staghorn fern and I’m happy. I love chartreuse, purple foliage and silver and white for my summer pots. Today, my favorite was Nemesia, tomorrow, who knows? My favorite foliage plant is a Rex Begonia. My favorite spring perennials are the Orchid Primrose (primula vialii), lady’s mantle and alliums. Hydrangeas, hydrangeas, hydrangeas — I can never get enough, especially the Tuff Stuff Hydrangea Serrata (called the Mountain Hydrangea), because they bloom no matter how much winter damage we get. I love the textures of dwarf conifers and ornamental pines. The varieties are amazing — different forms and tough as nails to withstand our harsh winters. Oh, and I love my herbs, my first loves; and succulents, my new loves. Maidenhair ferns, fresh moss — I could go on forever!”

How to get three seasons of color: “I love to design with good 'bones' first, to make sure all your plantings look good in more than one season. Remember, the winter is just as important, if not more so, because it’s so long here in the mountains. Structure is vital to winter interest. Seek independent businesses for advice and shop locally; it really does make a difference. I like this quote: "If you don’t want to pay for a professional, try paying for an amateur!’”

What’s in Danielle’s home garden right now? “I’m redoing our house gardens (shh… don’t tell Robb), and I’ve only changed things around three times in four years. I have a boxwood “cloud” garden in front, and I want to add narrow, wispy, ornamental grasses, silvers (artemesia) and purple perennials (alliums, sages, salvias, geraniums, lavender, nepeta and verbena bonariensis) with white hydrangeas and chartreuse fern leaf Japanese Maple. I’m really enjoying windswept natural gardens right now.”

Danielle points out some of the defining characteristics of the Upside Down Fern, a woodland garden plant that’s among her favorites this year for summer foliage.

Vibrant impatiens are ready for the garden.

May-June 2018 | 25

Feature

A Treasure in Valle Crucis Caroline Gandy Departs Community Park after Nine Years at the Helm

Photo by Nikki Bauman

A simple wooden sign, hand routed and nailed to a solitary tree, directs visitors down the gravel path to Valle Crucis Community Park.

The sign is unsophisticated, but its fresh coat of paint speaks to the tender care the park it has received from Executive Director Caroline Gandy and from the community it serves. Since its creation 35 years ago, the 28-acre destination has become a treasured part of community life in Valle Crucis and increasingly valued by the broader High Country.

Without relying on public funding, the park has become remarkable for its popularity, its size, the breadth of its programs and the lengths to which visitors go to support its success.

“I think one of the things that makes this place so special is the amount of buy-in that we have from our users,” says Caroline, noting that visitors don’t mind picking up trash, volunteering, donating and keeping a watchful eye. “There’s an 26 | May-June 2018

extra level of ownership that you don’t get with a tax-funded park.”

After nine years at the helm, Caroline is departing in May for a new position with Blue Ridge Conservancy, and a new chapter is beginning in the park’s history.

“I’ve received nothing but support and encouragement for the last nine years,” Caroline says. “That support has allowed me to grow the park into a stronger and sustainable organization, but it has also allowed me to grow professionally and personally. I am confident that the board will select a new executive director who will continue the great legacy of this place.”

A Natural Fit Caroline grew up in Drexel, N.C., and studied at American University in Washington, D.C., before returning home to earn her master’s degree from Appalachian State University. Her graduate

studies focused on community ownership of land and ways of sharing natural resources, so when she stumbled upon the position in Valle Crucis in July 2009, it felt like a natural fit.

The park’s third director, Caroline was the same age as the park itself and passionate about its history and intentional nonprofit structure. Working closely with the board of directors, Caroline oversaw grant-writing, communications, cultivating donors, forming partnerships, organizing volunteers, planning events and ensuring the park’s day-to-day functions. It was a crash course in nonprofit management, Caroline says.

“I’ve been able to learn and grow right along with the organization,” she says.

The park is known for its playgrounds, picnic areas, extensive river frontage, clear trout waters, and — a surprise in the High Country — its large, flat athletic fields. In the last several years, Caroline’s worked with college interns and local aawmag.com

Photos by Anna Oakes

partners to add environmental education programs for the general public and for summer camps with WAMY Community Action.

“Environmental work and conservation work has always been my passion, and the park board has really given me the opportunity to implement some of that in the park,” Caroline says.

The park’s physical footprint also has expanded during her tenure, with the addition of a welcome center designed and built by ASU building science students in 2016, plus a wedding gazebo near the stand of tall white pines that bisects the park.

The enhanced programs and facilities have only increased the park’s popularity. Last year, the park installed a traffic counter and tallied nearly 25,000 vehicles entering the park, Caroline says.

Celebration and Solace Crowds reach their zenith during Music in the Valle, a summer concert series where local and regional acts perform for hundreds of locals and tourists alike every Friday evening. Their solarpowered mobile stage is also the result of a partnership with ASU. “It’s kind of a Norman Rockwell type of scene because people just bring a chair and a picnic, families come, and the chil-

dren go play,” says Mast General Store owner John Cooper, who was instrumental in the park’s founding.

In the early 1980s, the property owner intended to develop the riverside parcel into an RV campground, John recalls. Led by the late Deverie Turnbull, concerned residents mobilized to stop the development and raise money to buy the land.

The founders initially raised enough to purchase 12 acres for $72,500 (a price considered too high by some at the time), soon added another 10 acres and later a few more, John says. The group formed a nonprofit with the help of a Valle Crucis attorney and grew the organization into a self-sustaining entity. Though they received some county support, the majority came from donations.

“A lot of people put in a lot of money, sweat and use of that park to make it what it is today,” John says. “It’s just evolved into a wonderful place to go. I look forward to every season.”

For the Coopers as for many others, the park is also a place of comfort and solace. After their son died in 1989 in an auto accident, John and his wife, Faye, requested memorials to the park in lieu of flowers. A picnic shelter was built to honor John Earl Cooper III and simply dedicated “in memory of a young man who played here.”

More recently, after the 2016 fire at Valle Landing that killed a young woman and injured several others, the park be-

came a collection point for donations and a resource for the grieving community.

First Director Hired As the park grew in popularity and importance for Valle Crucis residents, former professor Rick Herrick became its first true employee in 1995.

He also had a sentimental attachment to the park, where his daughters played soccer and his son learned to punt a football. During his tenure, the park installed bathrooms, paved the walking path and constructed a bridge over Dutch Creek so students at Valle Crucis School could use the fields for recess, he said.

Music in the Valle also started during his decade of leadership, though Rick says he can’t take credit.

“So many of the new things that came to the park were not my ideas,” Rick says.

“But I was very happy, because they were making it a better place, to help them carry those kind of ideas to fruition.”

As the sole employee, Rick was responsible for everything from mowing the grass to raising money and organizing volunteers. Even after moving away 12 years ago, he returned to the area frequently to visit his daughter and stayed in touch with the directors who followed: John Buchanan and now, Caroline.

“The process of professionalization Continued on next page May-June 2018 | 27

that I started has just been magnified tremendously under her leadership,” Rick says. “I always used to tell her that I was so pleased that she has helped me look so good.”

Eye to the Future With Caroline’s departure, the board is now working to hire a new executive director who will continue maintaining and advancing the cherished park.

Board President Marie Hoepfl says she hopes the organization will continue its environmental outreach efforts and

preserve the physical integrity of the park as attendance climbs and floods inevitably require maintenance.

Marie says she would love to see an endowment created to ensure long-term financial security for the park so that it continues to provide others the types of experiences she has appreciated: watching her daughters climbing trees and learning to ride bikes, or her frequent walks with friends.

“I might come in there with a lot of baggage from the day, and it’s gone when I leave,” Marie says. “I think everybody recognizes how amazing it is to have this

beautiful, 26-plus acres in the heart of Valle Crucis, along the river, with a philosophy of basically serving as a resource for the community.”

Editor’s Note: As this issue was going to press, Valle Crucis Park was closed due to flood damages. Check vallecrucispark.org and the park’s social media channels for updates.

Kellen Short Kellen Short is a former Watauga Democrat reporter who now calls Colorado home. Reach Kellen at kellen.m.short@gmail.com.

Photos by Anna Oakes

Music in the Valle The park’s biggest draw and its largest fundraiser is Music in the Valle, a summer concert series every Friday night starting Memorial Day weekend. Concerts begin at 7 p.m. May 25-Aug. 10 and 6:30 p.m. Aug. 17-Sept. 7.

Admission to the concerts is free, but a $5 donation per person or $10 donation per family to the park is recommended. Food is available for purchase, and it’s BYO chair or blanket.

The series, now in its 16th year, traditionally highlighted bluegrass acts but has expanded in recent years to include Americana, jazz, classical and rock ‘n’ roll.

May 25: Letters to Abigail, sponsored by Wren’s Nest Landscaping June 1: Trio Jinx, sponsored by David Finck Luthier June 8: Andrew Finn Magill, sponsored by Over Yonder and The Lucky Pickle June 15: Zoe & Cloyd, sponsored by High Country Toast June 22: Magnus, sponsored by Watauga River Fly Shop and Motorcycle Medic June 29: The King Bees, sponsored by Century 21 Mountain Vistas July 6: The Lucky Strikes Orchestra, sponsored by Friendship Honda of Boone July 13: Bob Sinclair and The Big Deals, sponsored by Woof Pack Pet Services and PARTNERS! Canines July 20: Lauren Hayworth & Centerpiece Jazz, sponsored by Rivercross July 27: The Worthless Son-in-Laws, sponsored by Mountain True and Watauga Riverkeeper Aug. 3: Rastacoustic, sponsored by Appalachian Mountain Brewery Aug. 10: The Sheets Family Band, sponsored by Holy Cross Church Aug. 17: The Dashboard Hula Boys, sponsored as a Birthday Surprise!

Aug. 24: The Carolina Ramble Review, sponsored by Peabody’s Wine & Beer Aug. 31: Soul Benefactor, sponsored by Allen Wealth Management Sept. 7: Folk and Dagger, sponsored in recognition of Bob & Julie Gates’ anniversary 28 | May-June 2018

Photo by Anna Oakes aawmag.com

Food & Drink

Indoor Herb Gardens Save Money on Fresh Flavors for Your Meals Fresh herbs and recently picked ingredients can add flavor to any meal. A home chef can even improve the flavor of store-bought or prepared foods with an herb garnish that can transform otherwise bland dishes into something you’ll want to eat again and again.

Harvesting fresh herbs is easy for homeowners who have gardens right in their backyards. However, everyone does not have a backyard, and even those that do might find their gardens threatened by changing seasons or unwanted critters.

When gardens are moved indoors, the bounty of fresh ingredients continues no matter the date on the calendar.

Herb gardens are perhaps some of the easiest gardens to cultivate indoors because they don’t require large pots or much space. The plants themselves are relatively compact, and it only takes a pinch of herbs to give a meal some extra flavor.

When growing herbs indoors, your indoor growing area must have adequate light to simulate the longer days of summer; otherwise, the plants may go dormant. It’s ideal to have a southern exposure on the herbs, with at least eight hours of sunlight per day. If you do not live in a particularly sunny locale, consider supplementing the plants with grow lights, which will provide the full spectrum of light the plants need to thrive.

Indoor air can become too dry for herbs, so you will need to compensate by providing humidity. While there may be added humidity in a kitchen greenhouse window, it still may not be enough to keep the plants healthy. Think about misting the plants daily to create some extra humidity, or place herb pots on top of a water-filled tray with pebbles so the evaporating water will add moisture without making the roots soggy.

A sunny location or grow light is necessary when cultivating an indoor herbs garden.

Insects are another threat to indoor gardens because there is no cold weather to inhibit the hatching of insect eggs. Soil from outdoors may be more susceptible to insects that are already living in the dirt. Instead of soil from outside, use packaged soil or a nonsoil alternative that will hold moisture without the added risk of bugs. If small insects appear, use a mist of soapy water to kill the bugs without harming the plants or making the herbs unfit for eating.

Group herbs together according to their watering needs to make mainte-

nance that much easier. New sprouts generally need more water than established plants.

Prune the herbs as needed for recipes.

If the herbs experience a growth spurt, trim some of the plants and freeze the herbs for later use.

Many indoor herb gardeners begin by growing parsley, chives, oregano, and basil, but you can experiment with just about any herb.

May-June 2018 | 29

Leisure

TRAVEL

Seven Who Are Changing the World My tastes in reading are mostly limited to memoirs about the lives of people in the world’s poorest countries.

I love my life as a traveler and travel writer. I’m curious about the earth’s neediest people and how they persist to realize their dreams. I especially appreciate that the group I travel with, Grand Circle/Overseas Adventure Travel, has a foundation that sponsors helping projects in over 100 countries.

I’d like to share with you five books that have inspired me. They are written by and about seven persons who dare to share their dreams and how they are realizing them.

“While I live my life expecting to live, others expect that they might die,” declares Jessica Posner. “The rules of the world are not the same for all of us.” Jessica spent a college semester, in Kibera, the biggest slum in Nairobi, Kenya. There she met and eventually fell in love with Kennedy Odede, a young go-getter who had just started SHOFCO, Shining Hope for Communities, to try to improve conditions in this squalid undercity. Together Jessica and Kennedy dreamed up Kibera School for Girls, and made it a reality.

Next came projects for health care, clean water and economic empowerment. Their adventures are chronicled in their book, “Find Me Unafraid: Love, Loss, and Hope in an African Slum.”

“When you cross the path of a certain kind of person, you ought to really pay attention,” observes Tracy Kidder, a spellbinding writer who, as he puts it, “stumbled into something extraordinary” when he met D. Paul Farmer. “He is a man whose values differ radically from those that currently prevail,” Kidder continues. He found Farmer in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti working day and night to establish a clinic and eradicate TB and 30 | May-June 2018

all other contagious diseases from the area, and indeed from all of Haiti. Farmer established Partners in Health, receiving a huge grant from Bill and Melinda Gates, and has gone on to do earthshaking work in Peru, Burundi, Rwanda, and Lesotho. Farmer’s dream, Kidder says, is “to redress the inequitable distribution of health care throughout the world.” Kidder’s book is “Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World.”

“Only six of the slum’s permanent residents had permanent jobs,” Katherine Boo reports in her stunning memoir, “Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity.” Boo fell in love with an Indian man and with the unforgettable colors and smells of Mumbai, India. She spent three years collecting stories of the residents of Annawadi slum, getting to know the extended family and friends of young garbage-picker-and-sorter Abdul. “A decent life,” she observes, “was the train that hadn’t hit you, the slum lord you hadn’t offended, the malaria you hadn’t caught.”

Dadaab, a camp of over 300,000 So-

mali refugees, located just inside the border of Kenya, is a parched, treeless desert.

Into that forsaken place came journalist Ben Rawlence, who introduces us to nine residents of the camp. Three generations of desperate Somalis, fleeing the violence of al-Shabaab and other terrorist groups, have made Dadaab their home. “One of the strangest things to come out of my time there,” says Rawlence,” is that you could call this forsaken place home. But some do.” Dadaab means “rocky hard place.” Indeed nothing will grow in that desolate desert but acacia thorns, hence the title of Rawlence’s book, “City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World’s Largest Refugee Camp.”

In Somalia, the most heartbreaking country ever, there lives a woman doctor who not only established a clinic some forty years ago just outside of Mogadishu, but has taken in thousands of refugees fleeing almost perpetual violence, most recently that of al-Shabaab. Dr. Hawa Abdi, an ob/gyn doctor, now in her late seventies, has recently written her memoir, “Keeping Hope Alive: One Woman, 90,000 Lives Changed.” She and her husband bought a large piece of land and planted fruit trees and all kinds of crops. Her two daughters followed in her footsteps and became doctors as well.

Together they have tried to keep hope alive in a violent atmosphere.

These dedicated scribes and change agents are calling us readers to pay attention to hurting corners of our world: to be better-informed, to keep these brave seven in mind, and to reach out to help wherever we can. 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

love THINGS WE

DRESS Simply Noelle America’s Sweetheart Dress. $64. Shoppes at Farmers Hardware. www.shoppesatfarmers.com FREEDOM SKIRT/DRESS Free-flowing skirt that can also be worn as a dress! Organic cotton and eco-friendly. FolkLore. 2208 US Hwy 421 North. (828) 406-6853. Facebook/Instagram: @folkloreboonenc SUMMER STOLLEN & STOLLENETTE This out of this world loaf is a sweet dough mixed with dried blueberries, cranberries, candied lemon peel and toasted pecans, and it's finished with a fresh blueberry drizzle. $8-14. Stick Boy Bread Co. www.stickboybread.com LINEN CABINET from Medallion's Bath Silhouettes line, Galleria collection, in Silver Appaloosa finish. $1,725. Precision Cabinets. (828)-262-5080. www.precisioncabinetinc.com CLEAN EATZ MEAL PLANS Beef brisket with fresh green beans and sweet potato. Chicken potstickers with snowpeas, broccoli, and teriyaki. Grass fed sliders with kale salad.

Weekly meal plans starting as low as $38 a week. Clean Eatz. (828)-386-4311. www.cleaneatz.com

Health

BEAUTY

What You Need to Know about

Face Oils When it comes to the subject of face oils, most of us already

just few of the beneficial face oils that are excellent for different skin types.

know about coconut oil but are unaware of the myriad of beneficial face oils out there. Pop into any beauty establishment and you will see that oils are the latest trend.

There is always something new on the horizon in the world of beauty. Much of it can be tossed, but the oil trend is worth exploring. If you’ve ever wondered if face oils hold any benefits for you, I can say it has benefits for every skin type and can target specific skin issues.

Moisture retention and oil balance is key in skin care. The correct oil will help skin replenish its natural moisture and protect it from future moisture loss. There is always the confusion that oily skin cannot be dehydrated. Truth is, it absolutely can and you need to know what to use and when to use it.

Now a word you may not like about our beloved coconut oil: Coconut oil is very comedogenic, which means it does not penetrate the pores and thereby sits on the skin and can clog pores. It can lead to breakouts and can cause extreme dryness. It is less like a pure plant oil and acts more like a wax on the skin. Okay, this is the science on it. However, if you’re having great results, keep at it — just be aware if changes occur.

The reason oils are so great is they are lipophilic — a big word that means their molecular structure is smaller and can penetrate deeper into the dermis, allowing hydration at a deeper level. This is a primer, and I will introduce you to

Dry Skin

32 | May-June 2018

Oils high in fatty acids will help seal in moisture and nourish the skin dry. Oils can smooth and soften wrinkles, strengthen elasticity and plump up the skin. Recommended oils: rosehip, maracuja (from the fruit), almond, neroli (from flowers of orange fruit), argan, flaxseed Oily Skin Seems oil on oily would be the last thing to use — not. As stated before, even if skin is oily, it can still be thirsty and a face oil works to bring homeostasis to the skin.

Dry oils work well on oily skin. A dry oil is an oil that is lightweight and quickly absorbs into skin without leaving a greasy feel. Recommended oils: grapeseed, rosehip, jojoba, evening primrose, geranium essential oil (balances and reduces excess oil) Acne Prone Jojoba oil mimics the body’s own natural oil, so it is ideal for acne-prone skin.

The oils help regulate and stabilize the production of sebum (the waxy stuff that builds up and clogs pores). Additionally many have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Dry oils should be used for acne-prone skin. Recommended oils: jojoba, rosehip, tamanu (from kernel of tamanu nut tree) tea tree, grapeseed Combination Combination tends to have oil and dry zones so it needs to be well hydrated and

oil production needs to be balanced. A lightweight oil like rosehip can be quickly absorbed in minutes while providing anti-bacterial properties that combat oily areas. Recommended oils: rosehip, carrot seed, olive, grapeseed, jojoba, raspberry seed, marula (taken from kernel of marula tree) How to Use Face Oils After cleansing and toning, use four to six drops on skin, lightly massaging. This tones and relaxes facial muscles and feels good to boot. The warmth generated by massage also boosts blood flow and helps activate ingredients. You can apply morning and night, though I prefer night so the oils can do their work while I sleep and I get to wake up gorgeous.

Note: always apply moisturizer before oil, otherwise moisturizer cannot penetrate oil barrier. Another benefit is the oil provides a protective barrier and prevents the air from sucking moisture from your skin. Applying a little oil on top of your sunscreen before makeup will create an extra protective barrier.

Launch out into the deep with oils and have fun.

You are beautiful!

Marion Edwards Marion Edwards is a Licensed Esthetician, Professional Makeup Artist and Certified Trainer for Motives Cosmetics. She can be contacted at 828.773.1500. aawmag.com

Health

LIVING WELL

Brain Boosters

Nootropics. It means “mind change” in Greek. In the world of biohacking, it refers to diet and lifestyle changes that can improve cognitive function.

Interest in nootropics is trending. As psychiatrist Drew Ramsey, the author of “50 Shades of Kale,” puts it, “The brain runs the show. Mood, focus, creativity and confidence are all brain phenomena ...

The intense, high-tech times we now live in have made these harder to come by.”

A healthy brain, like every other major organ, needs to be well-fed. A colorful mix of food and spices is a savory way to support a healthy brain. Here are some superfoods that have been shown to enhance brain function.

Nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios) A new study has found that eating nuts on a regular basis strengthens brainwave frequencies associated with cognition, learning, memory and other key brain functions.

Tea Drinking caffeinated black, green or oolong tea may “wake up” your brain,

according to a study published in The Journal of Nutrition. Researchers think theanine — an amino acid present in these tea varieties — may work synergistically with caffeine to improve attention and focus.

Blueberries The phytonutrient in the blueberries stimulate the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. Studies have shown that blueberries in particular are able to increase “concentration and memory” for up to five hours.

Cold Water Fish Studies suggest that eating cold water fatty fish, such as salmon, not only helps you to improve memory retention but can also protect the brain from degenerative mental disease such as dementia.

Eggs and Green Veggies Eggs and green veggies are full of B vitamins — specifically B12, B6 and folic acid.

These key vitamins are known to reduce homocysteine in the blood. Elevated levels of homocysteine are associated with increased risk of stroke, cognitive

impairment and Alzheimer’s disease.

Curcumin (the main ingredient in turmeric) The superstar of the super foods is curcumin. Curcumin is the substance that gives Indian curry its bright color.

Subjects taking a bioavailable curcumin supplement for 18 months improved their memory by 28 percent. The brain scan of those taking curcumin showed significantly less amyloid and tau signals associated with Alzheimer’s and brain trauma.

Curcumin has also been shown to support a healthy mood. Research shows that this savory herb can help balance serotonin, dopamine, glutamate and noradrenaline, the hormones of emotional stability.

Always check with your health professional before making diet and lifestyle changes. bonnie church Certified Life and Wellness Coach Author/columnist, motivational speaker Certified Trainer for TLS Weight Loss Solution

May-June 2018 | 33

Grandma Gatewood’s Walk

The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail In 1955 an Ohioan woman made her way to the airport and flew to Atlanta. From there she got a ride to Jasper, Ga., to begin her 2,050-mile walk along the full length of the Appalachian Trail. With minimal supplies and even less by today’s standards in appropriate footwear and hiking gear, 67-year-old Emma Gatewood began her journey.

Ben Montgomery’s biography about the the infamous hiker “Grandma Gatewood” chronicles Emma’s amazing thru-hike “walk,” while intermittently informing readers about her life as a young woman, a mother of 11 children, a horribly abusive marriage and the sheer measure of grit and determination Emma wielded to survive.

From an article in National Geographic about Earl Shaffer, the first male to complete the trail in one season, Emma’s curiosity was piqued.

“She had not been able to get the trail out of her mind. She had thought of it constantly back home in Ohio, where she tended her small garden and looked after her grandchildren, biding her time until she could get away.” In 1955, she found that time.

Telling no one where she was headed and with one failed attempt at a thru-hike starting in Maine, Emma set off on an adventure that would prove life-changing for herself, fellow hikers and the Appalachian Trail.

Known as America’s most celebrated pedestrian, Emma was not daunted by her age, gender or lack of survival training. She was compelled to the trail. She felt its call and she responded.

34 | May-June 2018

aawmag.com

But she had no idea of this when she took her first steps on the trail or in the thousands that followed.

“She was 67 years old … She stood five feet and weighed 150 pounds and the only survival training she had were lessons learned earning calluses on her farm. She had a mouth full of false teeth and bunions the size of prize marbles. She had no map, no sleeping bag, no tent. She was blind without her glasses, and she was utterly unprepared if she faced the wrath of a snowstorm, not at all rare on the trail.

“Why? ‘Because it was there, she’d say.

I thought it would be a good lark.’”

The elusive way Emma answers the question of why is a focal point in Montgomery’s book. Regaling readers with excerpts from Emma’s journal, interviews with her children and grandchildren, and quotes from magazine articles written about the “Queen of the Appalachian Trail,” that question persists in readers’ minds just as it has for countless others who knew Emma or heard her story.

Placing the story of her abusive marriage alongside the story of her walks, Montgomery has given voice to Emma’s resourcefulness in staying alive. It comes as no surprise to readers that Emma can withstand such harsh conditions on the trail as we learn about the physical and sexual violence she faced in her own home. Emma repeatedly proves she was no victim, not even a survivor. Emma Gatewood was a victor whose position as the first female thru-hiker is only one of her accolades.

Known as America’s most celebrated pedestrian, Emma was not daunted by her age, gender or lack of survival training. She was compelled to the trail. She felt its call and she responded. “The forest is a quiet place, and nature is beautiful.

I don’t want to sit and rock. I want to do something.”

Emma’s notoriety garnered muchneeded attention for the trail itself. Her description of the trail’s condition created the opportunity for an upgrade in the quality of the footpath and a greater awareness of the joy of walking. Still, Montgomery’s questions persist. Why? Why would a great-grandmother subject herself to such potentially harsh conditions? Why would she repeatedly choose blisters, joint aches and another night’s sleep on the ground over the comfort of an easy chair and a hot cup of coffee?

“I believe Emma Gatewood was honest. I also believe that there’s a chance her stock answers were covers. They were honest — and also incomplete — responses to a question she couldn’t bring herself to fully answer, not when she was a “widow.” Not when she had a secret. Not when she had tasted her own blood, felt her ribs crack and seen the inside of a jail cell … I’m not sure she was walking toward something so much as walking away.”

Montgomery’s passion for Emma and her story can be felt in every page of his book. “In her footsteps, I forgot my troubles,” he writes. Placing our lives alongside Grandma Gatewood’s, readers will be inspired and encouraged to get up and tackle life.

About the Author Ben Montgomery is a staff writer at the Tampa Bay Times and cofounder of the Auburn Chautauqua, a Southern writers’ collective. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2010 and has won many other national writing awards. He lives in Florida.

Hollie Eudy Hollie Eudy is an English teacher who loves stories, words and the Appalachian Mountains.

May-June 2018 | 35

YOUNG AT HEART

Loving

Summer “With enough time and enough money, you could spend the rest of your life following summer around the world.”

– The Endless Summer

As the season of late freezes and spring teases stretches on for what feels like forever, I often wonder if summer will ever arrive.

Every time I begin to hope that I will soon feel the warm sun on my pale, pasty, excessively sunscreened skin, winter pops up again like a character from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, stubbornly declaring, “I’m not dead yet!”

When I begin experiencing irrational anger towards my winter wardrobe and just cannot take it any longer, I go ahead and unpack spring and summer clothing and shoes regardless of the consequences (ie. freezing toes). And, I stop checking the weather for fear of seeing something I will not like!

In case you had doubts, I am a summer girl — it is definitely my favorite season.

Why? Some of my fondness is sentimental. I fondly recall long ago summer vacations, in a time before jobs and responsibilities, when my sister, Kendle, and I spent our days either swimming at the county pool or watching the old Gidget films and Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello beach movies.

Some of my fondness is anticipation.

After months of dormancy and hiberna36 | May-June 2018

tion, people and plants begin to venture out. Landscapes and clothing become more colorful. The days are longer and the temperatures warmer.

Some of my fondness is epicurean. Is it me or do seasonal, summer foods taste fresher and better? Veggies are crunchier, fruits are juicier and it is grilling season? I do love grilling season!

There is just something about summer — it feels easier somehow — but to be fair, summer is not perfect…

• It is a relief to turn off the heat, which causes my nose to bleed, and open the windows BUT open windows let in abundant amounts of pollen from blooming botanicals, which causes excessive sneezing.

BUT thunderstorm and hurricane seasons are just getting started.

• So long, snow boots BUT hello rain boots.

• I no longer need to marinate my skin in lotion BUT I need to marinate my skin in sunscreen.

• It is finally swimsuit season BUT it is already swimsuit season.

• The days are long and the weather is beautiful BUT only during the week while I am at work.

• It is time to get outside and enjoy happy hour on the deck, yard parties and fire pit fun BUT only after finishing the never-ending yard work.

• My scalp is less itchy, my hair less dry BUT my scalp is oily, and my hair limp.

• The social season has arrived and invitations are forthcoming BUT the volume of invitations is excessive because everyone has been reclusive for months.

• I am excited to pack away my heavy clothing in favor of lighter, airier fabrics BUT I have to unpack my heavy clothing due to excessive air conditioning.

Therefore, like everything, summer is not perfect. Not to worry, summer, I love you anyway! I think I will keep you!

• No more tights, stockings and socks BUT I have to shave my legs more than once a week and keep my toes properly pedicured.

• Snowstorms are over for the season

heather brandon Considers life to be one big anthropological field experience. She observes and reports.

She enjoys travel, food and wine and adventures with her husband, Roger.

aawmag.com

ALL ABOUT TOWN Top Left: Paige Moody, Munira Nassr, Curtis Arnold and Cynthia Null enjoy time together at a Kentucky Derby-themed event at SAVOR Blowing Rock, a food and wine festival held in May.

Middle Left: Celeste Phiilips poses with the horse decoration she created for the “Horses, Hats and Hooch” event at SAVOR Blowing Rock, a food and wine festival held in May. Photos by Kayla Lasure

Above Right : Guests and the Avery County Chamber of Commerce gathered on May 4 at Reid’s Café & Catering Co., located at 4004 NC-105 No. 8 in Banner Elk, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony and to celebrate their expansion of their restaurant. Pictured on the front row from left to right are Jessica Lorello, Nur Saleh, Jessica Schober, Alex Schober, Tina Houston (owner), Kellee Morgado, Matthew Wurst, Brad Kelley and baby Connor. Pictured on the back row are Abby Suggs, Jason Babb and Todd Hurst.

Photo submitted

Bottom Left: Rebecca and Eddie Hurst pose at the Wine for a Reason fundraiser for autism research on Saturday, April 28, at Linville Falls Winery.

Photo courtesy Rebecca Hurst May-June 2018 | 37

ALL ABOUT TOWN

Top Right: Stomp & Brew organizer Rebecca Lane works the check-in tent on Saturday, May 5. The inaugural Stomp & Brew Craft Beer and Wine Tasting Festival brought a crowd to downtown West Jefferson and supported local charity Shoes For Kids.

Photo by Lee Sanderlin

Above: Hannah Guy, Alysa Jenkins and Makayla Roark enjoy the recent Watauga High School prom.

Photo by Kayla Lasure

Bottom Right: Kinsey Rash and Abigail Hopkins pose before the Ashe County High School prom.

Photo submitted 38 | May-June 2018

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COMING IN JULY

Showcase Your Homes!

We want to feature your business and beautiful local homes — whether you built them, designed them, furnished them or are selling them — in our annual Home issue of All About Women. Our readers love peering inside the High Country's homes, whether large, small or in between, for ideas and inspiration.

If you are a...

• Home Builder • Real Estate Agent • Interior Designer • Resort Community • And More ...please contact us about submitting homes for this special edition. This is a reader favorite issue both in print and in the popular photo galleries on the web, so don’t miss this opportunity to get your name out there.

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