All About Women November 2014

All About

WOMEN November 2014

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Lista Caraway Benson From Avery County Girl to Air Force Colonel

Bonnie Walker & Amanda Peters New Era at Wellspring

Brenda Carson Art for Veterans

Brittany Johnson Living to Give

Collette Krontz A Passion to Serve

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Happy Thanksgiving

Photo by Rick Tobin

‘Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.’

publisher Gene Fowler

executive editor Tom Mayer

editor Sherrie Norris sherrie@aawmag.com 828.264.3612, ext. 251

writers Emily Apple Sherry Boone Heather Brandon Sharon Carlton Bonnie Church Yogi Collins Marion Edwards Hollie Greene Heather Jordan Mary McKinney Heather Samudio Sue Spirit

production & design Meleah Bryan Jennifer Canosa Marianne Koch Kristin Powers

advertising Rick Tobin 828.264.6397, ext. 250

cover photo

by Shelling Yarborough

Any reproduction of news articles, photographs or advertising artwork is strictly prohibited without permission from management. ŠCopyright 2014 A Mountain Times Publication

contents women in the news mother-daughter duo mom’s world by the book brenda carson young at heart brittany johnson adventures in uganda: part 2 marriage and family corner lista benson living well janelle karr fashion colette krontz high country courtesies june smith beauty the ghost of deep gap jamie hickman wilson my favorite things recipes

lista benson

10 amanda peters

16 brenda carson

7 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 31 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 49

26

20

36

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brittany johnson

colette krontz

june smith

& bonnie walker

NOVEMBER 2014

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editor’s note

It seems only yesterday that I was writing my note to you in preparation for Thanksgiving 2013, and with anticipation that the holiday season always brings our way.

The special occasions we will celebrate in the next two months are my most favorite. I love the nostalgia associated with Thanksgiving, and I love holding dear to my heart the true meaning of Christmas and the peacefulness that surrounds that day.

We usually wear ourselves down — right up to the last minute, in hopes of making each holiday a time to remember.

And, it usually is.

So it is, also, in some respects, how we work frantically to meet our deadlines every month for All About Women, to make sure that each issue is something special, and, yes, much like a gift to be opened, one page at a time.

We, at Mountain Times Publications, under which this magazine and its sister publications operate, take great care to provide our readers with a high quality of informative, entertaining and educational products on a regular basis.

As technology rapidly evolves, and the majority of readers are in a hurry for “the latest” news and entertainment, we find ourselves asking how we might improve upon the delivery of our products.

We have found that our websites attract incredible numbers of viewers each month, and are wondering how, you, our faithful readers and sponsors, feel about receiving the magazine online.

In looking at the “big picture,” we know that going exclusively digital would offer quicker access for our readers who have the Internet, and it would also be more eco-friendly and cost effective.

We could continue printing a small quantity for those who do not have the Internet, but we feel that today’s busy women might prefer finding us at the click of a button.

For several years, the magazine has already been well received via the Internet, and can now be viewed more clearly in a higher quality format on our new and improved home page at: www.wataugademocrat.com.

Your opinion is important to us, and no decision will be made without your input.

Please let us hear from you soon by emailing sherrie@ aawmag.com, calling (828) 264-6397, sending us a message on our Facebook page, or by writing to AAW, 474 Industrial Park Dr. Boone, NC 28607.

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NOVEMBER 2014

WOMENINTHENEWS Women’s Fund Grants $130,000 to Local Non-Profits

During its inaugural grant-making process, the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge has allocated $130,000 to 16 local non-profit organizations.

This new philanthropic fund is the result of a recent merger of the Appalachian Women’s Fund and the High Country Women’s Fund, each of which has also made substantial grants over the past eight years.

“We are thrilled,” says Karen Sabo, Executive Director of the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge. “The board members of the two funds hoped that by combining, they’d make an even more positive impact, be able to help even more women.

And that’s exactly what’s happening.”

The WFBR awards grants to regional non-profit organizations with programs that serve women and girls, specifically, those that advance women’s financial, professional, and personal potential, serve marginalized populations, use innovative techniques to help women and girls reach their full potential, and affect social change in the pursuit of fairness and justice.

“What’s truly gratifying is our impact,” says board chairwoman, Kay McCloskey.

“The combined amount both funds have given since they were created is $800,000, and with the grants this year that number is now $930,000. In an area with a relatively limited population, this really is amazing.”

According to Becka Saunders, grants committee chair, the WFBR supports both fundamental and innovative pro-

grams. “We give grants to address basic human needs like food, healthcare, and helping with utility bills, and also to more complex programs that address longterm attitude changes that break negative cycles,” she says.

Community members (both women and men) are invited to join WFBR. For more information, visit www.womensfundoftheblueridge.org, email info@ womensfundoftheblueridge.org, or call Karen Sabo at (828) 264-4002.

Agencies supported by the Women’s Fund of the Blue Ridge 2014 grants include the following: Hunger and Health Coalition, Watauga County. Grant will support the Women-Over-60 Food Program.

ASU: ACCESS (Appalachian State University: Appalachian Commitment to a College Education for Student Success), Watauga County. Allocation is for summer scholarships for ACCESS students, all of who come from families below the poverty level.

Western Youth Network, Watauga County. Grant is to support The Girls Circle, helping marginalized girls with academic improvement and self-esteem.

W.A.M.Y. Community Action, Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties. Funds are for women’s financial literacy, credit building and self-sufficiency assistance.

OASIS (Opposing Abuse with Service, Information, and Shelter), Avery and Watauga counties. Allocation is for support group sessions for domestic violence survivors in order to promote self-growth.

D.A.N.A (Domestic Violence is Not Acceptable), Alleghany County. Funds will help women make financial transitions out of violent relationships.

BRWIA (Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture), Alleghany, Ashe, Wilkes, Watauga, Avery, Mitchell and Yancey counties. Money given is for scholarships for women farmers to take business

courses, and for capital investment grants through the Mary Boyer Food & Sustainability Agriculture Grant Program.

Daymark Recovery Services, Watauga County. Grant provides free childcare for mothers during mandatory evening substance abuse treatment sessions.

A.S.H.E. (A Safe Home for Everyone), Ashe County. Funds are to assist domestic violence survivors in transitioning into independent living situations.

Mountain Alliance, Watauga County. Allocation is for Mountain Alliance’s LIFT (Leadership in Female Teens) program, which helps young women between the ages of 13-18 improve selfesteem and strengthen support between girls in the high school community.

Community Care Clinic, Watauga County. The funds will support dental care for patients, and vision care for uninsured female diabetics.

The Children’s Council, Watauga County. Grant supports on-site childcare for mothers enrolled in the GED program, and expansion of the Parents as Teachers program for high-risk mothers.

NOSW (New Opportunity School for Women at Lees-McRae College), Avery County. Funds support this free immersive educational program for lowincome Appalachian Women.

WeCAN (Watauga Crisis Assistance Network), Watauga County. Allocation supports homelessness prevention program for women through funding for emergency rent, mortgage and utility payments.

Hospitality House, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey counties. Funding is for operational and support service expenses for women in the Emergency and Transitional Housing Programs.

Girls on the Run, Ashe, Avery, Watauga, Wilkes Counties. Grant is for support of this youth development and empowerment program and expansion into Avery and Wilkes Counties.

NOVEMBER 2014

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WOMENINTHENEWS Martha Guy Receives Lifetime Achievement Award In recogniIn his pretion of her many sentation of the contributions to award, John Blackhealthcare in the burn ARHS Board High Country, of Trustees' Vice Appalachian Chairman and Regional Healthformer recipient care Foundation of the Lifetime awarded Martha Achievement Guy with the Award, said, "It Award recipient Martha Guy is pictured with Richard Sparks, is an honor to be Pinnacle Society Kenneth Peacock, and John Blackburn. Photo submitted Lifetime Achieveable to recognize ment Award. The presentation took place one of my heroes". during Appalachian Regional Healthcare Martha Guy, who ran Avery County Foundation's annual Pinnacle Society DinBank, founded by her father, until its sale ner at The Belvedere at Linville Ridge on in 2003, has provided leadership and finanSeptember 8. cial support to improve healthcare in our

region for many decades. She has served as a trustee for the Morrison Charitable Trust, an entity responsible for millions of dollars in healthcare funding to Avery County, since 1968. She also served as honorary co-chairperson with Mariam Hayes during the $20 million capital campaign to build the new Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital.

Martha joins Kenneth Wilcox, John Blackburn, Spencer Robbins, and Hugh Fields as the fifth recipient of the Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award.

For more information about the Appalachian Regional Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)3 organization, call (828) 262-4391 or visit www.apprhs.org/foundation.

Grandfather Mountain names Volunteer of the Year Grandfather Mountain named Terry Jenkins of Linville Falls its Volunteer of the Year on Thursday, Oct. 2.

A retired English teacher and former employee of the Linville Falls Visitor Center, Terry joined the volunteer program in May. Since then, she has amassed more than 300 hours of service on behalf of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.

Her first volunteer assignment was donning a kangaroo suit to serve as UNC-TV's Read-a-roo mascot during the UNC-TV Kids Club Day at Grandfather Mountain on May 3. Since then, she has done everything from dog-sitting for guests while they toured the animal habitats, to clerical work, directing traffic, greeting visitors and more.

"Terry has probably taken thousands of family photos for our visitors, and she has answered just as many questions about Grandfather Mountain," says Volunteer Coordinator, Lesley Platek.

"Grandfather Mountain was very lucky to get Terry as a volunteer."

Terry was surprised with the award during a luncheon honoring all 33 seasonal volunteers who contributed their time and talents this year. Another 60 people volunteered as part of civic

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NOVEMBER 2014

Terry Jenkins was named Grandfather Mountain's Volunteer of the Year in October for her devotion and service to the nonprofit park. Photo by Lesley Platek, Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.

groups for single-day projects, and about 30 more gave their time assisting with the September Hawk Watch.

The crop of volunteers ranges from age 14 to 80 and includes college students, former Grandfather Mountain employees, retired educators, businessmen and women, a political consultant, a retired Air Force officer and a published author.

Altogether, the group was expected to exceed 1,500 volunteer hours by the end of October.

"The one thing these folks have in common is they are all lovers of nature

and enjoy helping other people," says Lesley. "The volunteers have become incredible stewards for Grandfather Mountain, and we are very thankful and appreciative for their services on the Mountain."

Grandfather Mountain is now seeking applicants to join this distinguished volunteer team in 2015. Some projects may be available during the winter months, but volunteers are most needed between May and October.

Opportunities include: animal habitat ambassador, hospitality host, conservation and stewardship, gardening, educational assistant, exhibit interpreter, and parking and traffic control. School groups, church groups, clubs and organizations are also needed sporadically for special projects in the park.

To learn more about the program, visit grandfather.com/preserving-protecting/ volunteer, or contact Lesley Platek at (828) 733-2013 or volunteer@grandfather.com.

The not-for-profit Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation strives to inspire conservation of the natural world by helping guests explore, understand and value the wonders of Grandfather Mountain. For more information, call (800) 468-7325 or visit www.grandfather. com to plan a trip.

WOMENINTHENEWS Vera Coykendall celebrates 103 years of life Ashe County resident Vera Coykendall turned 103 on Tuesday, Oct. 14, but was honored with several celebrations during the month.

Vera was born in Rochester, N.Y. in 1911 to the late Ray and Ann Kingsbury, and has lived in the High Country for the past eight years. She currently resides at Forest Ridge Assisted Living in West Jefferson.

She has been active her entire life, spending many years volunteering her time to help others.

One of her most fascinating memories is the United States ag ying, signifying the end of World War I, when she was 6-years-old.

Vera also experienced the Great Depression, during which her family made ends meet by offering room and board to tenants.

Afterward, Vera recognized the importance of helping others and spent many years volunteering at churches, thrift stores, the humane society and the Girl Scouts.

She served as a driver with the American Red Cross, transporting soldiers

around the base at Fort Dix, N.J. during World War II. Vera later moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. where she worked in the real estate industry.

She was married to the late Pat Coykendall and has a son, Joel Coykendall of Jacksonville, Fla. and a daughter, Beth Ann Jones of Ft. Pierce, Fla. On Wednesday, Oct. 8, Vera was honored by her church family at St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country in Boone with attendees enjoying cake and fellowship.

Vera was also recognized in Ashe County on Friday, Oct. 10, as delegates from the N.C. Senior Tar Heel Legislature, Clara Miller and Richard Blackburn, County Manager Sam Yearick and County Commissioner William Sands, visited her at Forest Ridge.

The delegation presented a proclamation to honor her birthday, along with six red roses.

The Forest Ridge family serenaded Vera on Tuesday, Oct. 14, for her birthday and presented her with balloons and cake.

Vera Coykendall enjoys some time in the sunshine at Forest Ridge Assisted Living in West Jefferson. She turned 103 years old on Tuesday, Oct. 14.

Photo submitted

Individuals who would like to send a card or well wishes to Coykendall may do so by mailing them to Vera Coykendall, c/o Forest Ridge Assisted Living, 151 Village Park Drive, West Jefferson, NC 28694.

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Bonnie Walker, right, has owned and operated Wellspring Chiropractic and Acupuncture Center, her own Boone business for 25 years, is pleased to announce that her daughter, Amanda Peters, has recently joined her medical practice.

Photo submitted

A new era begins for mother-daughter duo at Wellspring 10

NOVEMBER 2014

In recalling the opening of her medical practice in Boone 25 years ago, Bonnie Walker says she never imagined sharing her dream — and certainly had no idea that she was “founding a family of healers.”

Fast-forward to 2014. Bonnie has just been joined at Wellspring Chiropractic and Acupuncture Center by her daughter, Amanda Peters, who has gotten an earlier start than did her mother in the health care business.

Bonnie was 40 and had just graduated from National College of Chiropractic when she relocated her family to Boone to live in what she describes as “the most beautiful place on earth — the High Country.”

“We wanted to live in a community where we could be of service and get to know our neighbors,” she says.

In solo practice since 1990, “Dr. Bonnie” as she is commonly known, has provided care to all ages and stages of patients with a wide range of conditions.

Her primary tools, she describes, are classical Chinese medicine (including acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, laser acupuncture and moxibustion), chiropractic, nutrition and lifestyle counseling, all aimed toward what she calls “giving the patient back to themselves.”

She has a special interest in internal conditions, immune problems, neurological conditions and reproductive disorders — especially infertility. She now claims to have helped 63 “acubabies” be conceived.

Dr. Bonnie’s interest in health and healing began in childhood.

“My mom couldn’t keep a box of Band-Aids in the house,” she remembers.

“They were all over my dolls.”

At the same time, she recalls, little girls weren’t encouraged to become doctors at that time.

“You could be a nurse, or teacher or secretary, but that’s about it,” she says.

“But, I don’t take orders well — I like to be the one who gives them.”

Bonnie discovered natural and nutritional healing at age 18, as a result of her own health crisis. She co-founded a health food store and several food co-ops in New England in the ‘70s, and raised “chickens, vegetables — and babies,” she says.

When her own chiropractor urged her to go to chiropractic school, Bonnie asked her children, Amanda and Justis, then 2

and 6 years old, what they thought about their mom being a doctor.

“They told me, ‘Go for it, Mom — we’re proud of you!’”

Amanda was only 12 when they moved here, but by the time she was 14, she had declared that she, too, wanted to become a doctor.

When asked if she were following in her mother’s footsteps, she would answer emphatically, “No, I’m making my own footsteps!”

Amanda attended Jung Tao School of Classical Chinese Medicine in Sugar Grove, which was co-founded by her mother; she graduated from Appalachian State University with honors in biology, and worked in neurological research at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

In 2010, she enrolled in the doctorate of chiropractic program at National University of Health Sciences in St. Petersburg, Fla., from which she graduated magna cum laude in August 2014.

Obtaining her goal to become a doctor, Amanda has now returned home to the High Country to work alongside Bonnie, who she describes not only as her mom, but also as her mentor and best friend.

In addition to chiropractic and acupuncture, Amanda brings with her to the practice fresh new skills in rehabilitation, physiotherapy and functional medicine.

Now a mother of two daughters, Amanda also brings special interest and training in treating pregnant moms and their children.

Both of her daughters were delivered naturally outside a hospital setting, and were given their first chiropractic manipulation within hours of their birth — by their Nana, “Dr. Bonnie.”

Amanda’s husband, Justin Keiler, is a massage therapist; her daughters, Sabine (18), is completing her massage therapist training, and Juniper (8) likes to fly around in Mom’s clinic jacket, playing “Super Chiro,” a natural inclination, the family agrees.

Bonnie graduated from chiropractic school in 1989; Amanda just completed her training at the same alma mater, 25 years later.

“The chiropractic profession only had about 10-15 percent women when I was in school,” says Bonnie. “It was a common

belief that you had to be big and burly to move those joints.”

But, now, the percentage of female chiropractors has increased to 20 percent, Bonnie adds, “and as many as 49 percent are now entering classes.”

Although lacking the “brute strength of a man,” Bonnie says, it’s been shown that women practitioners can deliver chiropractic treatment with greater precision and less discomfort.

“Research has shown, too, chiropractic treatment to be as good as, or better, than the standard medical options for many conditions,” Bonnie adds.

On another bright note, the women say, insurance companies are “finally” recognizing chiropractic as a valid treatment.

“Chiropractic physicians are considered to be primary-care physicians, licensed to diagnose,” Bonnie says. “They can order and interpret X-rays, CT/MRI, and labs. Chiropractic education requires the same number of hours as a medical doctor; we study the same physiology, biochemistry, pathology, diagnosis, etc.; the only difference is that, while medical doctors are studying drugs and surgery, chiropractic doctors are studying nutrition and adjusting.”

Still, it is rare to see a mother-daughter chiropractic practice.

“We are proud to be part of such a family-oriented profession,” Bonnie says, describing them as a “pair ‘o docs with a smile and a big hug.”

Bonnie Walker and Amanda Peters are available by appointment at Wellspring Chiropractic and Acupuncture Center, 2348 Hwy 105, Suite 9, Heritage Court in Boone.Phone (828) 265-0001 for a new patient appointment or a free 10-minute consultation.

For more information, visit www.wellspring-healing.com.

sherrie norris Editor, All About Women

NOVEMBER 2014

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My son, forever patriotic,

mom’sworld

Honoring Our Veterans ‘Let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle; and for his widow; and his orphan; to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.’

- Abraham Lincoln

Joseph treasures his model of the U.S.S. Oakland as a constant reminder of his greatgrandfather’s military service.

Photo submitted

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NOVEMBER 2014

informed me this past September that the month marked the 200th anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner. It was a typical day in which I asked him how school went. He mumbled a response, something about his music class, and motioned for me to follow him up to the living room.

Not knowing what to expect, I followed him and probed what had happened in music class. Initially, he was calm. He related that his class was watching a video that had veterans from World War II speaking of their experiences, as they discussed the Star Spangled Banner.

But then, he stated that during this video, there were several students in the back of the classroom who were laughing during the interview of the veterans. It appeared that they were making fun of or laughing at the veterans, and my son began to break down in telling me the story. It had upset him a great deal.

We talked about why he was so upset.

Ultimately, it became clear that he was upset because the laughter implied a lack of respect for veterans for whom he had the utmost respect and admiration.

He also became upset because he didn’t speak up and articulate his feelings. He said something to a friend near him, but regretted not saying more to the other students or teacher.

When I pondered this experience, it reinforced to me how seriously my son revered veterans and their service to our country. Fascinated with World War II pilots, as his brother, Joseph has read many books and watched numerous documentaries on the war. What started as a more shallow fascination with “waving the flag” evolved into a deep appreciation for the dedication, courage, and sacrifices that soldiers have given for America. To laugh or take this lightly was not acceptable.

Furthermore, to me, it highlighted that many of us have not shown due reverence to those men and women in our community and families who have borne the battle, as Abraham Lincoln wrote.

In addition, our country has not always provided the health care required for veterans, when they return from war, with both physical and emotional injuries.

I think many people pay homage to those veterans of the Great War without recognizing the debt that is paid by each

and every veteran before and since.

As I have written previously, my grandfather, who passed away this year, served in the Navy. I believe his service and memories helped and haunted him.

His pride was self-evident; his close calls harrowing.

I have read countless postcards that he sent back to my mother and grandmother – the words were few, but the emotion great. He hand-sketched scenes from the boat upon which he sailed, cartoon characters smiling and waving, and birthday wishes from across the sea.

In his final years, he seemed to embrace his soldier persona, one with whom I was unfamiliar, wearing his cap with the U.S.S. Oakland on it, reminiscing as if the years from so long before had risen up to meet him.

I wonder how many veterans experience this “push-pull” of their memories, for so many years burying the pain and suffering witnessed, only to have the tidal wave keep pulling their soul with the monumental bond that occurs in the

midst of many shared life-threatening moments.

In this context, the presentation of the American flag to my mother at my grandfather’s memorial service was certainly one of the most emotionally- charged experiences of my life. Ritual can do that do a person, marking the time of their life and service with the soulful, solo sound of Taps, the methodical unfolding and folding of the flag, the salute.

But beyond the ritual was the realization of the many memories that I did not know, the parts of my grandfather that had just started to slip into my view, the pain and pride that he seemed to have felt in his reflection of service.

And yet, here was the reverence of my son, who bears my grandfather’s name within his own. He initially turned down the flag that my grandfather had retrieved from the top of one of the masts, when he learned the war was over at Pearl Harbor, because he said it was “too special.” I convinced him otherwise, that he should receive it and hold it dear.

Joseph sleeps with the fleece naval blanket once made for my grandfather and he treasures the model U.S.S. Oakland, constructed by my father for my grandfather and given to him. And he cries at the thought that not everybody carries the same respect for people like my grandfather.

This Veteran’s Day, think about that person in your life that you can thank for their service to our country. Maybe their stories are too painful to share. Maybe they wish someone would ask. Either way, acknowledgement and respect go a long way.

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Walking Through the Pages of a Book ACHS Viking Academy Brings Literature to Life

Students shown at Thomas Wolfe’s grave. Photo submitted

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NOVEMBER 2014

“Today we plan to make this book come to life,” a tour guide tells the ninth-grade students from the Avery High School Viking Academy. “We will walk where Grover walked and see what Grover saw when he visited Riverside Cemetery in the book you’ve just finished, “What I Came to Tell You.” With these words several freshmen began their daylong tour of settings highlighted in the young adult novel studied in their English class. Riding through Mitchell and Yancey counties, students had a chance to “revisit” parts of the book that take place in Western North Carolina when the Johnston family heads up the mountain to pick out the perfect Christmas tree.

The students toured Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery and visited the graves of famous authors, such as Thomas Wolfe and O. Henry. Gary Clark, their guide, also shared stories about Zebulon Vance’s final resting place while also pointing out the differing aesthetic qualities of mausoleums erected in the 1800s versus the 21st century.

At noon, students met the author, Tommy Hays, for an hour-long discussion Author and teacher, Tommy and a question-and-answer session about Hays. Photo submitted his novel and the writing process.

One student says, “Mr. Hays was so open about the book, when we asked questions he would say, ‘I don’t know. What do you think?’”

Another says, “The book is awesome because everything just comes together and everyone starts believing in Grover.”

In the afternoon, students toured the Thomas Wolfe house in downtown Asheville, another place featured in the book.

“My favorite was walking through the house because it was like walking back in time,” one student says. Others were intrigued by the nuances of a 29-room-house once used as a boardinghouse beginning in 1906.

Walking through the pages of Hays’s book was an idea that came from one student. While reading the story in class and hearing that “this cemetery is a real place — this coffee shop is actually in Asheville,” the student asked, “Well, why don’t we go there and see all this stuff?”

As a result, because these students are in a unique program at Avery High School, that is exactly what happened.

Once in ninth grade, students at Avery are welcomed into a freshman “school,” known as the Viking Academy.

Since its inception in 2009, the academy’s goal is to ease the transition from middle school to high school. Monet Samuelson, principal of the Academy, says “It is our belief that if you provide a successful ninthgrade year, students will carry this into their 10th-grade year and they will graduate with their class on time.”

As retention rates continue to drop, this emerging concept of a “school within a school” proves this educational practice as true. A key facet in the academy’s philosophy is to meet the needs of students where they are when they enter high school. In 2013-2014, Monet, along with several other teachers, decided to offer yearlong courses in english and math.

“We saw there were students who lacked foundational skills and needed more time to strengthen their base,” she says. “There was a need for collaborative effort and different approaches to reach students and kindle their interest in reading,” Through a Fusion Reading Pro-

gram, students read books in class and on their own that teachers hope will resonate with them and inspire them to read.

Becoming active and deliberate readers, students are able to “set short and long term goals for reading and for life — reading has given students the belief that they can,” says ACHS teacher, Michelle Dellinger. “Students in the second year of this program have found a love for reading and for a variety of literary genres.”

Due to the student-focused mindset of the Viking Academy and the goal to allow students to connect reading with real life, the students’ field trip to Asheville was a perfect fit. “This was my first trip to Asheville,” a student reflected afterward.

“I’m glad I spent it at all of the cool places we went.”

Much like Grover, the main character of the book, students were given the opportunity to explore and imagine in the beautiful setting of Asheville, North Carolina.

‘What I Came To Tell You’ Through the eyes of 12-year-old Grover Johnston, the contemporary novel “What I Came to Tell You,” explores the pain of loss, the beauty of art and the importance of family. Losing his mother in a car accident six months before the story begins, readers follow Grover through the fall of 2011 as he struggles to adjust

to the new dynamics in his family, the challenge of talking to members of the opposite sex, and in finding ways to pursue his passion for weaving tapestries out of bamboo.

Set in Asheville, Grover’s story takes readers through Riverside Cemetery, the Grove Arcade, and, even the drum circle in Pritchett Park — all well known spots to those familiar with Asheville. Weaving Grover’s story through the streets of actual places only enhances the “true-to-life” quality found throughout the book.

Likewise, the art Grover creates adds another element to the story.

In a discussion with author Tommy Hays, the inspiration for Grover’s work with bamboo was revealed.

“I would sit in my office and watch my son play in a neighbor’s bamboo thicket,” Tommy says. “At the day’s end, he would have worked with the bamboo to make all kinds of things including knives, swords and other devices. It was that image that came to life in this novel.”

Through these “tapestries,” as Grover’s friend describes his art, Grover begins to work through his grief, while he also begins to understand himself on a deeper level. “I felt a part of something bigger than me,” Grover discovers.

Facing the holidays without their mother, and dealing with the struggles of daily life, Grover and his sister, Sudie, learn that the power of love and forgiveness carry the healing balm that will soothe their grief. In its exciting conclusion, readers will find themselves cheering for Grover, for positive spins with the media, and for the resilience of the human spirit.

“What I Came to Tell You” is Tommy Hays’ fourth novel. He teaches at UNC-Asheville and is the co-founder and director of the Great Smokies Writing Program.

For more information about events and readings visit his website www. tommyhays.com.

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

Students at the Riverside Cemetery 1885 sign. Photo submitted NOVEMBER 2014

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Local artist Brenda Carson uses her artistic talents to reach out to others, designing original folk art for 100 cards to be sent to veterans in North Carolina through the VetCard Campaign. She also wrote personal messages to the veterans inside each card and included 100 stamped envelopes to mail the cards.

Photo courtesy of Ashe County Library

Ashe woman expresses

gratitude for veterans through art Ashe County folk artist Brenda Carson has put her talents to work contributing 100 cards featuring her original folk art, to be delivered to veterans through the VetCard Campaign in North Carolina.

Brenda created original scenes for the cards, including a rooster crowing on a fence, a young farmer feeding his cow, a bear being chased away from a bee’s nest by several bees and deer grazing in the forest.

She also included personal, handwritten messages to the veterans in the cards, thanking them for all they had done for her, her family and the United States.

According to Joe Elliott of Asheville, founder of the project, Brenda went one step further by including stamped envelopes with every card.

“I love my art and I want it to represent God in some way,” she says. “Being able to reach out and help others through

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my art means the world to me.”

Brenda says she has a special place for veterans that goes deep into her heart.

“My blood dad was a veteran in the Korean War, and the man that raised me was in the Korean War,” she says. “I don’t think any citizen can ever give enough to our veterans.”

Joe created the campaign in support of World War II military veterans.

“The cards are a small, but powerful, way to remind these men and women in their final years that they are not forgotten, but remembered and appreciated for their many invaluable contributions to our nation,” he says.

“A credo of the project is ‘honor them now, while they are still with us to enjoy it,’” according to Joe, who says statistics from the Department of Veterans Affairs show between 600 and 670 WWII veterans die every day.

The mission of the project is to put

cards of support and appreciation into the hands of older vets, many of whom are now confined to hospitals, care facilities or homebound due to sickness and disability.

Joe was deeply touched by Brenda’s contribution.

“She is a very modest person and will probably say she’s not doing that much when you call her,” Joe says. “However, the 100 cards she sent with stamped envelopes are a tremendous blessing to the project, not to mention all the other projects she’s doing on behalf of veterans with her art.”

Brenda has also created a piece of artwork titled, “Well Done, Soldier.” It features Jesus carrying a wounded soldier.

She says it is a very special piece and that she plans to reprint it every year for veterans’ hospitals. One of the prints is being placed in a hospice facility in Florida.

“Well Done, Soldier” was also included in the More Than Words exhibit at the Ashe Arts Center gallery, last month, held as a companion event to the On the Same Page Literary Festival.

Joe and Brenda have never actually met face-to-face, but Joe says, “I can say, without a doubt, she is a most generous, kind-hearted woman who truly cares about others in the community.”

Brenda has been creating artwork on and off through the A sample of Brenda’s cards made for veterans. Photo submitted years and has loved doing so as far back as she can remember.

She was so discouraged, she put her “I think I was probably trying to art tools away and didn’t do anything for sketch when I was in my mother’s womb,” several years. she says with a chuckle. “I didn’t go However, following a bout with canto school for it. I just scribbled down cer, Brenda decided to try it again. through the years, dabbling in it here and “That’s when I really blossomed,” she there.” says.

She entered a local contest several Preferring to work in graphite and years ago and received a negative comwith colored pencils, she is also considerment about her work from one of the ing trying paintings and sculptures in the organizers.

future.

When she worked on the card project, she wanted to create art that focused on something other than war.

“They hear about war all the time,” she says. “I tried to create images that would remind them of times when they were young.”

Brenda says her husband, the late Stillman Kit Carson, had given her a couple ideas, as well.

“He was an angel here on earth and now is an angel in heaven,” she says; he died on Aug. 12, not long after she finished the card project.

Joe says the cards will be distributed to area elder care facilities, including the Charles George VA Medical Center in Asheville.

HEATHER SAMUDIO heather@mountaintimes.com

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youngatheart

Heather and Roger enjoyed a most delicious breakfast at Lucille’s in Boulder, Colo., in 2011.

Photo submitted

Food Memories Hello, my name is Heather and I am food-obsessed.

At least that is what friends, family and colleagues tell me. This diagnosis stems from the fact that I live by the motto: Life’s too short to eat bad food.

This is not to say that I have never eaten bad food, I just try to keep it at a minimum. And, I have come to realize that my life, thus far, is made up of a series of food memories.

It has been said that variety is the spice of life. While this is true, I would also argue that spice is the spice of life.

Being open to trying most foods at least once, I have enjoyed a lot of variety and spice and subsequently have amassed many food memories. And, just for the record, eating sea cucumber once was

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quite enough.

I sometimes wonder why I remember food — maybe due to the fact that food can stimulate most, if not all, of the senses. Some food memories are powerful reminders of a specific time and place.

One of my earliest is eating fresh currents directly from the bush at my grandparents’ house — the tart fruit staining my lips red. Another, years later while away at college in Boston, is of the little Kenmore Square restaurant where I first tasted the rich, fragrant curries that characterize Indian food, now one of my favorite cuisines.

Other food memories evoke a person or event — my 30th birthday, for example.

I celebrated with a custom multicourse Chinese menu that included many

of my favorite dishes: stir-fried rice cake, baby bok choy, whole red snapper, roast duck and more. My nephew, Alex, made a food memory of his own that day when he tasted duck for the first time and rated it 10 stars.

Feast-filled holidays also come to mind, especially Thanksgiving, with its bounty of roast turkey, cranberries, potatoes and pumpkin pie. My husband, Roger, would demand that I include his grandmother’s squash casserole and panfried dressing in that list. And, because he has such fond recollections of these items, I will never make them — ever. My imitation of his grandmother’s signature dishes would pale in comparison to his memory.

This raises the question of whether a

food memory should be collected, catalogued and preserved. I have been known to describe a dish as “so good that I will never eat it again.”

One particular dish that received this designation are the mussels at Pop’s in Durham, served in a delectable broth with the perfect balance of garlic, tomato and white wine.

I internally debate that question every time I enjoy something extraordinary, because I have ruined a few food memories with a second less-than-extraordinary experience.

During our years together, Roger and I have collected a number of food memories, both close to home and on our travels.

“Má Pêche,” we say in unison when I mention the theme of this article. We savored a meal at Má Pêche, one of David Chang’s Momofuku restaurants, during a trip to New York. The duck comfit with grits and greens was mouth-watering and unforgettable, to say the least.

Some of our other shared food memories include: dining at Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s original Philadelphia restaurant, pretty much everything we have sampled at Cúrate and the French Broad Chocolate Lounge in Asheville, a most delicious breakfast at Lucille’s in Boulder, Colo., Dutch pancakes and possibly the world’s best pizza in Aruba, grilled Caribbean lobster in St. Kitts. I could go on, but this list is making me hungry.

What I find astonishing is that everyone does not have a collection of food memories. After listening to Roger and me reminiscence about a delicious meal, my father-in-law, Allen, interrupted to say that he had a food memory. “Great,” I say, “Wait. What — one? You only have one? What have you been eating all these years?”

I think he was teasing me, because now, whenever he eats something unique or especially tasty, he calls me to announce that he just made a new food memory.

“If you remember it in a year,” I say, “then, it’s a food memory!”

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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.

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NOVEMBER 2014

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LIVING to GIVE

Photo submitted

Brittany Johnson B itt Brittany Johnson J h iis a llott lik like many young women her age — energetic and passionate about life.

Having grown up in the small town of Dunn in the eastern part of the state, she entered college after graduation from Triton High School in 2005, she says, “I wasn’t sure what I was cut out for.”

In her early 20s, she was filled with uncertainty and confusion; at 22, she decided to go back to school, “to figure out my purpose in life,” she recalls.

During her junior year, Brittany transferred to Appalachian State University, after which “things started falling into place,” she says. She wasn’t “100 percent

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sure”” just do with her j t what h t she h wanted t d tto d ith h public relations major, but during her last semester, her career pathway became clear.

Having developed a passion for service in her own hometown while growing up, she says, Brittany wanted to become involved with the greater Boone community.

The first step came through the Appalachian Popular Programming Society, the campus organization/event programming board, of which she eventually became vice president of its public relations team.

Through this office, she worked often with the student organization, Appalachian and the Community Together.

Brittany began volunteering at the Hospitality House of Boone, a nonprofit agency helping those who live in crisis, poverty and homelessness, to rebuild their lives.

For her senior project, she was paired with Todd Carter, director of development for Hospitality House, to work on a campaign to raise funds and awareness for the organization.

“After being educated on the homeless and poverty issues in Watauga County — and receiving a tour of the amazing facility — I was hooked,” she says. “I immediately wanted to know more and how I could get involved.”

Describing Todd as “an amazing mentor with a strong passion,” it was he, she says, who inspired her to look beyond her own assumptions of poverty and homelessness which opened her eyes to the stark reality.

“Throughout the semester-long project, I continued to learn so much and develop a passion of my own,” Brittany says. “I’ve always enjoyed helping people, but it had been more on a customer service level.”

Reaching a level of service “beyond my imagination,” she describes, Brittany discovered her purpose: to serve others in need.

“Todd informed me about the AmeriCorps VISTA program and how Hospitality House was trying to apply for a VISTA (volunteer) to manage a unique project,” she says. “Filled with excitement, I knew this was the program and project for me.”

After “a lot of research,” she applied and became the N.C. Campus Compact AmeriCorps VISTA for Hospitality House of Boone.

“It has been the best decision I’ve made since deciding to go back to college,” she adds.

From volunteer to project manager As the VSTA for Hospitality House and Appalachian State University, Brittany began working as the project manager for that “special” project.

VISTA stands for Volunteer in Service to America, Brittany explains. “It’s an AmeriCorps program that lets me serve fulltime for one year to fight poverty by developing sustainable programs.”

Now in her second year as a VISTA, “and looking back on my first,” she says, “I realize that my experience was much more than expected.”

“My job doesn’t pay much, but what it

lacks in finances, it makes up in experience, knowledge, and love,” she says.

“Most importantly, it opened my eyes to my purpose in life: to serve. That, itself, is priceless.”

Despite lectures from her father about getting paid less than the minimum wage, Brittany “tries hard,” she says, to help him understand that it’s not all about money.

“I am getting the best, I tell him, because I am doing what I love. I tell him that I want to help people and the money doesn’t matter. I tell him that when a resident achieves a goal, even the smallest one, it means much more than a paycheck. I let him know that the people we serve and the staff I work with are my family on this mountain.”

Calling Todd and Hospitality House director Tina Krause the best mentors that any recent college graduate — or anyone — could ask for, Brittany says, “They have taught me patience and have guided me through my challenges with great advice. AmeriCorps and Hospitality House fuel my passion and motivate my desire to make a difference. I am living to give.”

About that special project?

Brittany developed, implemented, and now manages the new Welcome Home Thriftique in Boone.

“During my first year of service, I researched business structures, provided industry analyses, wrote a business plan (which I had never done before) with some talented and patient students in the masters program at App, negotiated a lease, and executed successful fundraisers, (which included the Color Blast 5K, that raised more than $8,000) ” she says.

“Starting a business from the ground up is not easy.”

Brittany could’ve easily become frustrated when an original location — promised by a donor — fell through, which left her team with no other site prospects.

Refusing to quit and become discouraged, she continued to move forward, determined to stop at nothing until the project was successful In February, she started planning a 5K and a flapjack fundraiser to raise money for the business startup costs; the events earned more than $4,100 for the store.

A lease for the new thrift store was signed on June 1, 2014.

“It was so exciting to see this vision come alive,” Brittany says. “It was all a team effort. Everyone chipped in with painting, cleaning, loading furniture in

the U-Haul I drove, and setting up and pricing merchandise. We collected more than $9,000 worth of merchandise, and in the first month we opened, we made more than $2,500, being open only three days a week.”

The thrift shop/boutique stocks furniture, home goods and decor, antiques and collectables, and name-brand clothing.

Understandably so, Brittany is “very proud” of the store.

Her next adventure is to design job skills training and financial literacy for residents of Hospitality House, while using the store as the hands-on learning class.

The initiative, she says, “will teach our associates customer service, management and leadership skills, cash register procedures and build tech skills — and most importantly, help them build the self-confidence they need to achieve their goals.”

Additionally, the goal is to provide clients with a safe place to gain knowledge that they can apply at any job — “as well as in life,” she says.

According to Todd Carter, “Even in her first year, Brittany did a stellar job; I am extremely happy that she chose to continue with us for a second year.”

Todd said that such an ambitious project would not have been attempted without Brittany.

“She possesses the necessary vision, drive and passion to make it successful,” he says. “I couldn’t have asked for a more professional and dedicated person to lead this project; it is an honor to be by her side as she continues to accomplish, achieve and grow.”

A late start equals great success Brittany graduated from ASU at the age of 26, “a little later than most,” she says, with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a minor in sociology.

“Before serving in AmeriCorps I knew nothing about the program and did not even know it existed,” she adds. “I had no idea about the opportunities it presented and how it would change my life.”

Looking back on “a challenging, yet amazing year,” Brittany says, “I realize that I have grown so much, and every day, I learn something new.”

Being a VISTA has taught her to go beyond her comfort zone and realize her own potential — “And that with hard work and dedication, anything can be done. I cannot wait to see what the next route of

this journey has in store,” she says.

Last year, she served on the planning committee for Appalachian State’s Annual Hunger Games Food Drive event, through which she helped raise more than 3,000 pounds of food for the community kitchen at Hospitality House.

“I believe that I was born to serve,” she says.

Additionally, Brittany is also apart of the Mountain Television Network Team and hosts the MTN Live in the Mountains noon show Monday-Wednesday, interviewing local guests from the surrounding areas about upcoming events and opportunities in the community.

“The Welcome Home Thriftique is the main sponsor for the show,” she says. “I really enjoy hosting the show because it allows me to meet so many people in our community and surrounding counties. It is so much fun.”

Brittany spends her free time with family and friends, and enjoys hiking, dancing, singing, photography, concerts and music festivals.

She is the daughter of Gary Johnson and Cynthia Brown of Dunn; her grandparents are Cathy Rich of Dunn, the late Hugh Rich of Garland, and the late Richard and Kathryn Johnson of Dunn.

“I am so thankful for the continued support from my family and friends. I would not be where I am today without them,” she says.

Brittany would love to stay at the Hospitality House and serve permanently on staff, she says. “However, if that does not work out, I would like to work at another crisis center in the development department, or start my own nonprofit in efforts to continue to defeat poverty in America. I am excited to see what is in store.”

Welcome Home Thriftique is located at 182 Boone Heights Drive.

Hours of operation are Thursday – Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m.-6 pm.

For more information about Hospitality House, contact Todd Carter at (828) 264-1237 ext. 107, email todd@hosphouse. org or visit online at www.HospHouse.org.

To learn more about N.C. Campus Compact VISTAs, visit www.compact.org.

sherrie norris Editor, All About Women

NOVEMBER 2014

21

Tapping into women’s hopes and dreams AFRICA

UG U GANDA G A

A family-planning survey in Uganda (Part II) When asked what future dreams she has for her children, “Patience” replies, “I want my first child to become a mechanic, my second one a doctor, and the third, a teacher.”

Another mother, “Thankful,” wants to learn skills to become a shopkeeper. “I’d like to qualify for capital, such as a microloan,” she says.

These are just two of the women interviewed by Kelly Williams, professor in the social work department at Appalachian State University within the last year in a small, South-Central Ugandan village of about 1,500 people.

As part of two service-learning study trips taken with ASU students to Uganda, Kelly talked with 13 women in 2013, and 31 women in 2014, concerning their hopes and dreams for themselves and their children — and their views and experiences with family-planning methods and

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services.

Kelly and the students, sponsored by the Social Work Department at A.S.U., were in Uganda in partnership with a Ugandan-based nongovernmental organization.

In the 2013 study, the women Kelly interviewed ranged in ages from 20 to 62.

“Almost all of the women,” Kelly says, “had dreams of their children attaining high levels of education (i.e. secondary and university levels) and working in professional jobs, such as teacher, nurse, doctor, and even politician.

“The women,” Kelly stresses, “also said they desired education, literacy and developing skills that would allow them to support themselves and their families.

They wanted to learn how to make and sell products, such as clothing and crafts, to have land for growing and selling produce, and farm animals, to attain skills for small-business management, and to

See Part I in the September issue of All About Women at www.wataugademocrat.com.

qualify for micro loans to start small businesses.”

Some of the challenges the women reported facing, Kelly shares, included not having enough money for their children’s school fees, food, clothing and medical care, limited opportunity for earning money and limited financial support from their husbands.

The women were raising and supporting many children, their own and those of others, and most said they did not want to have more children.

A couple of the women said they wanted to have more children, but could not afford it, Kelly says. “A few of the women seemed to have limited knowledge, misconceptions, and/or past negative experiences with the use of family planning methods, which led to the follow-up study in 2014.”

In the 2014 study, the 31 women Kelly interviewed were age 19 to early 40s. Data

about family planning methods, such as that it causes sterility or damage to the reproductive system, and a culture where polygamy is still practiced and is legal. Many men don’t want their wives to use family planning methods, causing women to seek discreet methods, such as the use of injectibles every few months, or to go without protection.”

A doctor comes to the village every three months to administer injectibles; women can sometimes slip off to get them without their husbands’ knowledge.

The women interviewed were glad to tell their stories, and thanked Kelly for including them in the survey and talking openly with them about the topic of family planning.

The results of Kelly’s research will reach many people and organizations. Most importantly, she will share them with the NGO and with the women surveyed. She plans to return to the village to seek community members’ input regarding developing family planning interventions in the village.

Later this month, Kelly will present her research at a conference of the American Public Health Association in New Orleans. She also hopes to publish her studies in international public health journals. She will then find ways to share her data directly with health care workers in developing countries.

Last of all, readers of this story have become better informed -sue spirit about rural Uganda and may be stimulated to gain more knowlfrom that study are currently beedge of Africa. ing analyzed, although prelimiKelly’s enthusiasm for her nary findings suggest there is a research and her willingness to “sizeable unmet need” for family collaborate with rural Ugandan planning in the village.

Kelly Williams, ASU Professor, has a special place in her heart for the women women will also be a positive of Uganda. Photos submitted Kelly explains, “Unmet need influence on her social work for family planning is defined as country remains high, at 34 percent.” students, as they ponder their own the proportion of married women, age 15 “Troubles that Ugandan women face future projects and research. to 49, who either do not want more chilin family planning,” Kelly says, “include dren or who would like to wait two years having one of the world’s highest fertility sue spirit before having another child. rates; difficulty getting men to approve Writes poetry and essays about nature, Although contraceptive use in Uganof or participate in family planning and/ spirituality, writing, and travel. She da had increased to 30 percent by 2011, has a little cabin in the mountains. or use of condoms; superstitious beliefs degreesoffreedom@frontier.com the unmet need for family planning in the

Kelly talked with 13 women in 2013, and 31 women in 2014, concerning their hopes and dreams for themselves and their children — and their views and experiences with familyplanning methods and services.

NOVEMBER 2014

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marriageandFamilyCorner

Mama’s Hands “My right to swing my fist ends where your nose begins.” This assertion was first attributed to John B. Finch in 1882. This adage has endured because of the importance placed on personal rights that don’t harm.

Personal rights, exercised at the expense of personal health, build feelings of hurt, anger, abandonment and fear for the person who witnesses the damage. But, at the same time, it doesn’t have to diminish love and loyalty.

I happen to know, first hand, that the health consequences of nicotine addiction manifests a tension between

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rights and responsibility — and between pleasant and painful emotions of associated family members.

November reminds me of this tension and duality.

Nov. 1, All Saints’ Day, has long been a special day of celebration for me. It was my mother’s birthday and is a date significantly connected to the life of love and faith she lived.

Her unconditional love provided the rudder that steers my life, the bounty that nourished me, and the model to which I look.

Yet, smoking caused Mama’s death a week before her

63rd birthday. The pain I felt at losing her was beyond compare. So, the delight of November now sits alongside this loss. It represents a part of Mama’s legacy that I hope doesn’t endure.

Mama embodied unconditional love, humility and fun. She held, hugged, and applauded for us with her gentle hands.

Conversely, her addiction turned her beautiful and open hands into a metaphorical “fist” that often held a cigarette.

It is simultaneously true that her immense love lives beyond death, as does the harm done by her choices in addiction.

Expressions of love and pleas for her to stop smoking didn’t unclench that fist, although she made many attempts to do so.

This fist struck emphatically when she was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and end-stage emphysema. It struck repeatedly during the physical agony of her last year, although it was my privilege to return a fraction of the caregiving she had earlier given to me.

It was brought down when death took her, just a little more than 10 months from the date of her diagnosis. It is still brought down each time the anguish of her absence temporarily surpasses the joy of her enduring presence.

This fist will always be part of the truth, just as her hands will always offer love and encouragement. It is important for me to remember both truths of her hands.

The love on which my life has been built was extended by those hands, and some of the greatest pain I have known has been the result of that fist.

Remembering the loving hands allows me to live by her example. Remembering the fist causes me to never forget my choices are mine alone, though they are never truly individual choices since they impact others.

Holding these coexisting truths allows freedom of choice, as it promotes consideration of both personal rights and responsibility to others — more fully than either truth allows alone. In fact, denying this duality of truth fuels despair and impedes dealing with loss.

November brings month-long campaigns for Lung Cancer Awareness and for National Family Caregiver. The connection in time of these campaigns with

the early-November celebrations of the deceased and of endings, sets the stage to celebrate Mama’s birth and to honor her passing.

These celebrations ring with the joyful applause she gave, resound with her free laughter, and resonate with the gentle love of her hands.

And, of course, Mama’s life is also at the top of things for with I am grateful during Thanksgiving.

These alignments cause me to smile and feel hope for myself —and for others.

My hope is that education will prevent more hands from holding cigarettes and becoming fists. My hope is that improved treatments will be developed for this powerful addiction, which is considered the third most difficult addiction to overcome.

Statistics prove that this difficulty follows closely behind heroin and is, perhaps, on par with crack cocaine. It is greater than crystal methamphetamine, alcohol and cocaine.

It is also my hope that more effective treatment will be developed for lung cancer, emphysema and the many other ways in which smoking has become the biggest preventable cause of death in the United States.

Supporting research and program development to prevent and treat nicotine addiction is critical for bringing our awareness to action.

The Great American Smoke-out observation conforms to the above theme of November dates and falls on day 20, this year; it’s a great place to start making the change. Physicians and psychotherapists are available to provide support for smoking cessation.

Making this change means courageously balancing personal rights and responsibility to loved ones. Opening a clenched fist to embrace love in the form of self-care can become one of the greatest, if not the greatest, result of this change.

®

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For comments on this article or suggestions for future articles, contact:

MARY MCKINNEY, MA, LMFT McKinney & Associates Marriage and Family Therapy, Inc. 828-268-0155 For urgent matters and first-time callers: 828-773-5463 www.mckinneymft.com

NOVEMBER 2014

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Lista Benson From Avery County Girl to Air Force Colonel The name Lista Caraway is still recognized in Avery County; she says she’s the girl who climbed the mountainside every evening after school to bring in the cows. Many remember, too, that she was a good student who went onto college after high school graduation to become a nurse. What many might not know, or had forgotten, was that she entered the United States Air Force as a young woman — and that after 27 years of military service in the nurse corps, she retired on Dec 31, 2011 — as a colonel.

What Lista has accomplished — and who she is today, she says, she owes to the life she knew growing up in a hardworking, dedicated family, surrounded by people who encouraged her to be and do her best.

“From the time I could remember, I was taught that no job is too small and that whatever you do, do it the absolute best you can —and then, do the next thing the same way.”

Today, Lista (Benson) lives in Florida with her husband, Dennis, and son, Derek, but she returns often to her beloved mountain home in Heaton.

Most recently, she came back in September to visit family and spent much of her time trimming trees and making apple butter.

Running up the mountain and back down every day for the cows kept her physically fit and prepared her, even then, for her future. “I just didn’t know it at the time,” she says.

Now, after traveling the world over, Lista admits that she might’ve taken for granted the beauty of the North Carolina Mountains.

“I thought all mountains were blue, just like the ones I grew up with, she says.”

The daughter of Voreta Caraway and the late Dennis Caraway, who died in 2003, Lista was born at Cannon Memorial 26

NOVEMBER 2014

Hospital in Banner Elk, and grew up with her brother, Alex, on Curtis Creek in the Heaton community.

Reflecting upon her early days that helped define the woman she is today, Lista says her life was simple and humble, with little money and few material possessions.

“But, we had a big garden, we canned food for the winter, had cows, pigs and chickens — and we had a large extended family.”

Those things mattered.

“My mom and dad set the house rules and everybody worked and had chores,” she says. “We attended church at Curtis Creek Freewill Baptist and everyone helped their neighbors; school was not missed unless you were really sick.”

She attended elementary school in Elk Park; as a youngster, she wanted to be a doctor. “I didn’t have the money to do that, but I’m happy I became a nurse,” she says.

Early on, Lista heard one of her friends talking about going to college.

“That sounded like a good idea,” she recalls, “but I had no idea how I would ever be able to do it.”

A few special teachers, she says, started her on the path to higher education and helped shape her future.

“Mrs. Mary Martin and Mr. Sid Yoder encouraged me in elementary school and gave me an educational foundation that I would build upon for years to come,” she says with deep respect. “Mr. Keith Tutterow was the principal and he taught an advanced reading class. I was in that group and there is where my love of reading and learning really began.”

She doubts that those teachers remember her, she says, “but the little things they did made a huge difference in my life and I definitely remember them.”

By the time Lista entered high school, she was reading a book a day, had a “real

love for learning,” she says — “and a great educational experience.”

She loved Avery High and was “greatly influenced” by teachers Rowena Johnson, Pat Edwards, Kenny Poteat, Renie Stewart and Mickey Banner. “But my favorite teacher was Doug Clark and his government class,” she says.

Describing her formative years as “pretty wholesome and idyllic with few cares,” Lista played high school tennis, went home, did her chores and homework — and loved being outside, whether playing or working.

She began to equate future success with how she was doing in the classroom.

“By the time I graduated high school, I had been accepted to three colleges, but I chose to go to Lees McRae, which offered one semester free to all Avery County graduates,” she says. “I could afford to go there by living at home and working in the English Department for Dr. Bill Watterson, an excellent professor, who also taught me in English Literature.”

That’s when, she says, “My world began to open up.”

Lista graduated with honors and an associate’s degree in biology before transferring to Western Carolina University, where she graduated cum laude from WCU’s Nursing Program.

Prior to her senior year in nursing school, Lista had not yet considered the military as a career.

“One evening of my senior year, a friend suggested we go get some free dinner and listen to the Air Force nurse recruiter,” she says. “To my surprise, the Air Force offered a six-month orientation program and was looking for new graduate nurses.”

Much to her family’s initial disappointment, Lista decided to join the Air Force, “but they came around pretty quickly,” she says.

Until then, the farthest west Lista had

‘From the time I could remember, I was taught that no job is too small and that whatever you do, do it the absolute best you can — and then, do the next thing the same way.’

- Lista Benson been was Gatlinburg, Tenn.

“In Sept 1985, I took my first plane ride — to Wichita Falls, Texas,” she says.

On the day she graduated college, she says, she took her oath of office as an Air Force officer, thinking she would serve three years, “get really trained and get out,” she says. “After those first three years, I thought I’d stay a little longer.

I didn’t make a plan, but the Air Force made a plan for me.”

The environment she found myself in, she says, “was suffused with love of country, honor, excellence, mission accomplishment and service.”

She recognized quickly that the values with which she was raised — and her leadership abilities inherited from her mother — fit perfectly into the Air Force.

Lista has held many and various assignments in the Air Force — from obstetrical nursing and nursing education — to serving wounded warriors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan (see sidebar).

“I became the best clinician I could be and I had mentors who helped me hone the leadership skills I would need later,” she says.

As wife to an Air Force officer, and mother to their son, Lista says, “We had a dual military family which required working through schools, deployments and lots of long hours. It took sacrifice and hard work, but I had great support from my family back in N.C. and from the Air Force.”

Photos submitted

Continued on next page NOVEMBER 2014

27

Lista Benson, pictured with her husband, Dennis, son Derek and their dog, Oliver.

“I loved my job, I loved the Air Force and I love this country,” Lista says.

Fortunately, she says, the Air Force “saw something in me and started pushing me and giving me more and more leadership opportunities.”

Lista has had several “defining moments,” one of which evolved when she was a young captain at Wright Patterson AFB, working 12 hour- nights in labor and delivery.

“My tech got a call from the emergency room that a lady was on the elevator and seemed to be in labor,” she recalls.

“We grabbed our emergency equipment and headed out to get her. She’s coming down the hall, 24 weeks along and already pushing to have the baby. We paged the doctor and anesthesia, then we discovered the baby was breech. We delivered a premature breech baby and we had to get her intubated right away.”

Eighteen years later, Lista received an invitation to a high school graduation.

“It was that baby, all grown up and doing great,” she says.

Of all her different bases — and all with different and unique missions — Lista says, her “very favorite” was at the Hurlburt

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Lista and her husband, Dennis, share a special Christmas memory.

Field Special Operations Clinic.

“I was working at the Special Operations Medical Group, running the family health clinic and doing all the usual things clinic does,” she says. “But we had a night job, too, and that was to deploy Special Operations forces forward — to medically protect those warriors.”

That’s when she “learned the value of being a quiet, effective and efficient professional,” she says. “When Sep 11 happened, this base ramped up and responded, big time.”

It was during that period that Lista was named Field Grade Air Force Nurse of the Year, “but to be honest,” she says, “I was so busy with the mission that I don’t remember much about the award.”

Every nurse has things that replay in his or her mind, Lista says.

“While in Germany, I remember the planes coming in every day on which we loaded seriously ill patients and flew them home. I remember the burns — and trying to calculate the body surface area, using the rule of nines — then, realizing that the solider was burned all over,” she says. “I

remember a fallen marine that we could not save, and his fellow marine, who stood guard in dress uniform for three days at his door until he passed — then the guard gave a final salute and walked away. I remember the families and I remember how hard everyone worked to save lives.”

If a troop arrived alive to one of her forward hospitals, Lista says, he had a 96-percent chance of living. “We learned to actually improve a patient’s condition while flying to the next level of care.”

When nominated to be a commander, Lista was ready, she says, due to her “solid upbringing, clinical experience, teaching experience and that as a leader in some challenging environments.”

“Realizing that you really work for the people doing the mission is very liberating,” she says. “My job was to take care of my people and train those leaders to take over for me. As the leader, I just provided a direction, then let people do their job.”

They did not disappoint, she says. “I had a fantastic career, moved more times than I want to count, and left the nurse corps in good hands.”

Lista’s husband, Dennis, is now an operations research analyst for the Air Force; their son, Derek, now 20, is currently in business school at the University of West Florida.

Lista retains her nursing license and “still dabbles” in healthcare, she says.

She teaches a spinning program at the YMCA, volunteers at Hulbert Field AFB, enjoys motivational speaking, doing selfimprovement projects around the house and gardening.

“I’ve had a garden everywhere I’ve been,” she says.

She especially enjoys spending time at her Avery County home and visiting with her mother and other relatives.

“I have a big family and lots of cousins,” she says, which includes Penny Hodges, who is in the Air Force Reserves.

Lista and her family stay physically fit and eat healthy “about 80 percent of the time,” she says, but thoughts of her mother’s homecooking are never far from her mind.

“I love to cook, too, “ she says, and took a cooking class in Paris one time.

The Air Force was “really good for me,” Lista says, “I saw so much and did so much and met my husband through it. I loved my job, I loved the Air Force and I love this country.”

At 51, Lista says, “Perhaps the best is yet to come.” sherrie norris

Lista’s tips for successful leadership □ Build trust: If your people have to take a test, you take it too. Be competent. Put your self out there. □ Make a decision: As a leader, don’t wait too long to act. You don’t need 100-percent of the information to make a good decision. □ Collaborate: You get more and better ideas and you get ‘buy-in’ for any solution. □ It is OK to be afraid: Do it anyway — we call that bravery. □ Bad news never gets better with age: Tell your boss. □ Be willing to compromise for the greater good: This country was built on compromise. □ The best way to assess character is to give a person a little power: Wait and see what the person does with it. If he abuses others and starts making people miserable, then you have a character assessment. □ Be honest. □ Feed people’s dreams: Find out who wants to do what then as the leader make that happen. □ Listen: When you just want to talk, don’t.

Lista’s Major Awards and Decorations • Defense Meritorious Service Medal • Meritorious Service Medal, four oak leaf clusters • Air Force Commendation Medal, one oak leaf cluster • Army Commendation Medal • Air Force Organizational Excellence Ward, two oak leaf clusters • Air Force Outstanding Unit Award • Air Force Recognition Ribbon ( AF Field Grade Nurse of the Year) • National Defense Service Medal, one service star • Humanitarian Service Medal • Global War on Terrorism- Service Medal

Editor, All About Women

Other Achievements • United States Air Forces Europe Barbara C. Brannon Award, Best Chief Nurse, 2007 • First Air Force Nurse Graduate of National War College, 2004 • Air Force Field Grade Nurse of the Year, 2002 • Air Force Special Operations Command Field Grade Nurse of the Year, 2001 • Air Force Academy Field Grade Nurse of the Year, 1999 • Top Third Graduate Air Command and Staff College, 1998 • Squadron Officer School Flight Commander of the Year, 1996 • Squadron Officer School Chief of Staff Trophy, 1994 • National Certification in In-Patient Obstetrics Nursing ( RNC) since 1994 • Company Grade Office of the Quarter, Whiteman AFB, Mo, 1989

Deployment Experiences: Jan 1991 – Mar 1991 Related experiences:

Lista Benson, at her promotion to colonel, picoted with her boss at the time, Col. Angela Thompson.

Med Surgical Nurse, Upper Fairford, UK, supporting Operation Desert Storm Chief Nurse at Ramstein AFB,Germany July 2006 – June 2008 and Chief AF Nurse at Landstuhl Hospital, Germany, June 08- June 09.

Continued on next page NOVEMBER 2014

29

Air Force Career: Oct 2010 – Dec 2011 Jun 2009 – Oct 2010 Jun 2008 – Jun 2009 Jul 2006 – Jun 2008

Jul 2004 – Jul 2006 Aug 2003 – Jun 2004 Jul 2002 – Aug 2003 Jun 2001 – Jun 2002 Aug 2000 – Jun 2001 Nov 1998 – Jul 2000 Jun 1998 – Nov 1998 Aug 1997- Jun 1998 May 1996 – Aug 1997 Jan 1996 – May 1996 May 1994 – Dec 1995 Jan 1992 – May 1994 Jan 1990 – Jan 1992 Jan 1989 – Jan 1990 Feb 1986 – Dec 1988 Sep 1985 – Feb 1986 Sep 1985

Commander, 882 TRG, 82dTRW, Ft. Sam Houston, TX Medical Schoolhouse Commander, BRAC move to San Antonio Commander, 882 TRG, 82dTRW, Sheppard AFB, TX Medical Schoolhouse Group Commander, planning BRAC move Chief AF Nurse, Landstuhl Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany Chief of Nursing Administration at busiest Medical Center in DoD Chief Nurse, 435 MDG, Ramstein AB, Germany Chief Nurse Executive, Chief Nurse of the Year for USAFE, 2007 Exercise & Evaluation Team Chief Commander, 4 MDOS, 4 MDG, Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC Squadron Commander, won two Tricare awards 2005 Student, National War College, Ft. McNair, Washington DC Chief Nurse, National Defense University, Ft. McNair, DC Coordinated nursing care for senior officials/flag officers Flight Commander, Primary Care, 16 MDG, Hurlburt Field, FL Air Force Field Grade Nurse of the Year, 2002 Dep Flt CC, Primary Care, 16 MDG, Hurlburt Field, FL AF Special Ops Command Field Grade Nurse of the Year 2001 Dep Flt CC, Primary Care, 10 MDG OL-A, Peterson AFB, CO US Air Force Academy Field Grade Nurse of the Year 1999 Nurse, Women’s Clinic, 10 MDG, US Air Force Academy, CO Triaged patients, patient education Student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, AL Top Third graduate, highest nurse graduate of class of 1998 Executive Officer, Squadron Officer School, Maxwell AFB, AL First nurse corps executive officer to the commandant of SOS Curriculum Director, Leadership Block, SOS, Maxwell AFB, AL Responsible for coordinating leadership training at SOS Flight Commander, 30 Stu Sq, SOS, Maxwell AFB, AL Flt CC of the Year, 1995, AF Chief of Staff trophy for top flt, 94 Labor & Delivery Nurse, Wright Patterson Medical Center, OH Asst. Charge nurse, scheduler Medical Surgical Nurse, Wright Patterson Medical Center, OH 4 South and 4 West, Asst. Charge Nurse, 12 hour nursing shifts Staff Development Officer, 351 MDG, Whiteman AFB, MO Coordinated staff education and patient medical education Labor and Delivery Nurse, 351 MDG, Whiteman AFB, MO Initial AF nursing job, 12 hour shifts, became asst. charge nurse OB Nurse Internship, Scott Medical Center, Scott AFB, IL AF Nurse Orientation Course Medical Indoctrination Medical Service Officers (MIMSO) Sheppard AFB, TX Commissioning Program, 2 weeks, 1st AF experience

Formal Education: 2004 1996 1985

MS National Security Studies MS Adult Education BS Nursing

National War College, Washington, DC Troy State University, Montgomery, AL Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC

1983

AS Biology

Lee’s McRae College, Banner Elk, NC

Professional Military Education: 2004 1998 1991

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NOVEMBER 2014

SDE IDE BDE

National War College Air Command and Staff College Squadron Officer School

Residence Residence Residence

LivingWell

FOG BRAIN AND HOW TO LIFT IT

Do you feel confused and unfocussed? Do you fumble in conversations with friends? Do you walk into a room and forget why you are there? You might have brain fog. There’s no official medical definition for brain fog, but you know it when you have it.

To function properly, the brain needs three things: • A steady flow of oxygen-rich blood.

• A steady supply of glucose, the brains’ primary fuel.

• A clear pathway between brain cells.

VITAMIN/MINERAL DEFICIENCIES Some common deficiencies include: VITAMIN B12

LACK OF SLEEP Sleep power “washes” the brain. Not getting enough sleep leads to mental clutter and fuzziness throughout the day.

LACK OF EXERCISE Exercise facilitates the flow of glucose and oxygen to the brain; both are essential for the brain to function optimally.

CHRONIC STRESS Chronic stress inflames and fatigues the brain.

HIGH CARB/SUGAR DIET Sugar is the fuel for the brain, but it needs to be fed in a slow, steady supply — not a sudden surge.

Food and environmental allergens can trigger inflammation in the brain.

A severe deficiency of B12 can look a lot like dementia. Before competing, some chess grand masters inject themselves with B12 for improved performance.

ADDICTIONS

MAGNESIUM

Processed foods, heavy metals, such as mercury and copper, and even some pharmaceutical drugs, can short-circuit brain function.

This important mineral is vital for the production and transfer of nerve impulses and other chemical reactions in the brain.

CO ENZYME Q10

When these basic needs are not met, you can’t think clearly. Sometimes, diet and lifestyle are the culprits. The following have also been shown to contribute to brain fog:

ALLERGIES

Sometimes called the “spark plug of the cells,” CoQ10 helps protect and energize the brain.

For some, tweaking diet and lifestyle can lift the fog. For others, this is not enough. Chronic brain fog signals an underlying condition that needs medical attention. Among the conditions associated with brain fog are:

Alcohol, drugs and tobacco all take their toll on cognitive capabilities.

NEUROTOXINS

Brain fog is not normal. It is often the first clue that something is amiss.

Check with a trusted health professional for guidance on how to resolve this life-blighting condition. With a proper diagnosis and treatment, it can lift. bonnie church Certified Life and Wellness Coach Author, columist, motivational speaker and certified trainer for TLS Weight Loss Solution

CHEMICAL IMBALANCES The classic examples are depression, anxiety and ADHD.

BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCES When the level of glucose in the brain drops too far, the brain starves for fuel.

CLOGGED ARTERIES Clogged arteries inhibit the flow of oxygen- rich blood to the brain.

UNDERACTIVE UNDE ERACTIVE THYROID DEHYDRATION The brain needs water. Prolonged dehydration can shrink brain cells.

BAD FATS The brain also needs fat. Not the kind of fat you get from fries and donuts, but the kind you get from cold-water fish and coconut oil.

When Wh hen functioning properly, the thyroid keeps energy and mental stamina cruiise control. When it malfunctions, on cruise so doess the brain.

MENOPAUSE A drop in estrogen can degrade memory.

NOVEMBER 2014

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November is a special month for Janelle Karr and her family as they celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month. Photo submitted

Celebrating — in business and family Success Former flight attendant with United Airlines, Chicago native and successful businesswoman, Janelle Karr, moved to the North Carolina Mountains in 1999.

Now, fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom, Janelle says, it was through neces-

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sity, like most mothers, that she stumbled upon a way to not only pave a way for her own children to attend college, but to also help others do the same.

First and foremost in her life, Janelle says, is her role of wife and a mother of two daughters, one of which is a high

school senior.

“Like many families, I was concerned about how to pay for college when my oldest daughter started the college process,” she recalls. “The cost of college is on the rise and when it comes to college, it is important to my family to make sure

What she does Janelle has discovered that available scholarships for students have grown more diverse with time and that there are “a multitude of scholarships available for all types of students,” she says.

It is her job, and those of her team, to find scholarships that are more fitted to each student, based upon individual achievements, interests, hobbies, community service, and athletics — while exploring scholarship opportunities concentrated on religion, heritage, personal challenges, career interests and more.

Through her home-based business as a scholarship strategist, Janelle is able to save parents time and frustration of researching merit scholarships that their students are eligible to receive.

Additionally, she says, she has to resources to “more objectively” evaluate which scholarship opportunities each student has the best chance of winning.

Her service saves parents hours of research and makes it as easy as possible for students to apply for scholarships.

In addition to scholarship research, Janelle also provides assistance with

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other areas of the college admission process, including helping to write and proof read essays.

‘The challenge of the scholarship search was overwhelming and I began to understand about the process that has overwhelmed so many families.’

-janelle karr

Why she does it

It’s been a blessing, Janelle says, to be able to stay at home and homeschool her daughters for more than 15 years.

“Our oldest daughter, Nikki Faith, 17, is currently enrolled as a senior at Watauga High School, and our youngest daughter, Savannah Grace, 9, is a thirdgrade student at Grace Academy.”

November is a special month for her family, she admits, as it is National Adoption Awareness Month.

It’s thanks to “the miracle of adoption,” Janelle says, that she and Scott, her husband of 20 years, are parents to two daughters “who we love and adore,” she says.

The couple decided to adopt when they discovered they could not conceive children of their own.

Janelle and Scott were married in March 1994; six months later, she had a hysterectomy due to complications with ovarian cysts.

“From early in our marriage, we knew we could not conceive, and so began our journey of adoption,” she says. “Nikki was born in Chicago, and Savannah was born in Charlotte; I was able to be present in the delivery room to witness the birth of both of our daughters — and each was an unforgettable moment.”

Both adoptions have provided “inexpressible joy” for her family, Janelle says, with each adoption as unique and special as each of her daughters.

“I thank the Lord for these incredible gifts that He has given to us,” she says.

To contact Janelle about helping find your children’s scholarships, find savvy scholarship finders on Facebook, or visit www.savvyscholarship.com, www.finders@savvyscholarship.com, or call (336) 977-7289.

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that my daughter receives a quality education, while keeping down the financial burden.”

Janelle began to conduct the scholarship research process by exploring merit scholarship opportunities, during which she discovered that finding the right scholarships “and how to maximize them was a huge undertaking,” she says. “The challenge of the scholarship search was overwhelming and I began to understand about the process that has overwhelmed so many families.”

The scholarship websites have enormous databases that did not adequately identify scholarships that were specifically matched to her daughter’s unique achievements and qualifications.

“I quickly became educated in this process and discovered how — and where — to find merit-based scholarships specifically matched to my daughter’s credentials,” she says.

What began as a necessity to find scholarships for her daughter has now become her passion, Janelle says, to help other students achieve their college dreams and reduce the financial burden with which they, and their parents, are so familiar.

sherrie norris Editor, All About Women

NOVEMBER 2014

33

Fall into

hether it was from a mom, aunt or grandmother, we’ve all heard some variation of “Go change; you’re going to freeze to death wearing that.” But, before you go reluctantly move your favorite summer dresses to the back of the closet, let’s look at a few innovative ways to keep those dresses, and other items, around for fall.

Check out our favorite ways to layer and transform your sundresses: With fall in full swing, the weather is finally cooling down, at least in the mountains. Although many of us have had fall weather going strong for a while, already, there’s still time to talk fall clothing. Having a solid foundation of resilient fall pieces will serve you well as you begin to transition and build a great winter wardrobe.

Your essentials really depend on your lifestyle and taste. So, while I wouldn’t want to suggest that every woman needs certain pieces, I would like to share my personal favorite fall items that I wear routinely, each fall. I consider them my “closet work-horses” and I’ve found them to be great pieces for looking cozy and cute, while still being able to run errands all day long.

From the bottom up: Tights: When wearing a dress in the fall or winter, adding tights is an easy way to warm up your outfit. You can keep it classic with a simple pair of opaque black tights or experiment with colors and patterns.

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Leggings: Other than tights, leggings are definitely the warmer option to wear. Leggings with leather elements or studs definitely add a touch of flair to your outfit and some edge to your summer pieces. You could also try over-the-knee socks.

Keep it layered: Cardigans: Maxi-dresses already have enough length to endure the fall season, so add a cardigan, belt and scarf for variation.

Get Pulled Over: Try layering a sweater over a loose-fitting tank dress for a simple, but cute new look. Allowing the dress to peek out from the bottom adds flair and color, while simultaneously giving you the layers to survive the temperature drop.

Belting the loose dress under the sweater is the key to this look. It pulls the lower half in to create a faux skirt look.

Best foot forward: Booties: When the temperature drops, we do not have to be reminded that boot season has arrived. It’s time to retire your flip-flops and sandals and replace them with those super chic booties — probably the only shoe that looks great with skinny jeans or tights.

Whether you go flat or heeled, an ankle boot will never let you down.

Wear the plaids: My favorite go-to fall outfit is a plaid shirt with skinny jeans and riding boots.

These shirts can be layered under a sweater, blazer, vest or a chunky cardigan.

Their versatility allows you to wear them tucked into or knotted over jeans or a skirt.

The striped tee: I’ve worked my short-sleeved striped tee to its death, and for this fall, I stocked up on a few long-sleeved versions for cooler weather. There are so many ways to accessorize a plain striped T-shirt, even if just with necklaces and scarves. Or, you can layer them under cardigans, blazers and vests.

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

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Colette Krontz a passion to serve

J

Jobseekers are often told to recall what they loved doing as a kid, to find their passion, and follow it to a job that will never feel like “work.”

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Photo by Yogi Collins

It’s clever advice that Colette Krontz, director of children’s ministry at Boone United Methodist Church, seems to have taken, both by design, as well as by coincidence and perhaps, even by heavenly direction.

As a young girl, Colette loved working and playing with kids and remembers being a neighborhood ringleader.

“I would rally all of the kids in the neighborhood and we would do fundraisers and carnivals and shows for parents, so they could see what their kids were doing while they were gone at work,” Colette says.

However, as much as she advocated for and enjoyed kids, she hadn’t

planned to work with them as a career, and chose, instead, to study business and psychology in college.

“I ended up having an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree,” she says.

“I was psychology, but thinking about child psychology. I was management, but thinking about human resources — and I had a minor in statistics and a minor in child development.”

Ultimately, Colette found she loved industrial organizational psychology, and although she planned to get her doctorate in the field, when her husband, Dan, had the opportunity to start Western Carolina Eye Associates in Boone, with Ed Miller, she chose to come to Boone with Dan, rather than live apart while she completed her degree.

“I did the real traditional thing of following your husband to his place of employment,” she says. “When I got here, I discovered that we had picked a place that had absolutely no industry for me to enjoy industrial organization. So, I did what any smart woman would do: I started having babies,” Colette says with a laugh.

Motherhood got her involved in the school system, so she began advocating for schools and was involved at Parkway Elementary School.

“That led to Boone Service League, which led to Watauga Education Foundation, where I was secretary for a number of years,” she says. “I ended up getting the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award in 2003 for that period of time.”

While volunteering at Parkway, Colette oversaw the installation of two new playgrounds, an outdoor running track and an outdoor basketball court, just to name a few of her accomplishments.

It was only natural that, when she and her family joined Boone United Methodist Church, and learned it needed a new playground, Colette volunteered to oversee the effort.

Soon, with success in her wake, she was placed on the hiring committee for the church’s new director of children’s ministry position.

“I helped find two great candidates, but they ended up taking other positions, so the church asked me to consider the position,” she says. “I had quite a bit of a faith testing and ended up feeling like I needed to say yes. When I took the job,

‘Part of what I’d like to do with kids is to let church be accessible. I want them to be able to bring their imaginations with them.’

-COLETTE KRONTZ

I actually could see how all the diverse interests of my life fit together in this particular role. It is an organizational role and involves training and equipping of children and families. All of my skills were immediately put into play.”

Now, as the mother of two grown children who have recently left home, the empty-nester “feels blessed,” she says, to be surrounded by 200-plus kids in the church; she is constantly seeking to make church a welcome space for kids, one of the things she most appreciates from her childhood.

“Because my father was a preacher and I had five brothers, we got to explore (the inside of) churches — and I loved that,” she says. “I loved that church wasn’t a formal place I couldn’t live in. The church was a warm, friendly place and the symbols in the church were not forbidden to me. Good grief, I don’t know how many times I got ‘married’ with my brothers — and how many times we did communion and preached from chairs by the pulpit!

Part of what I’d like to do with kids is to

let church be accessible. I want them to be able to bring their imaginations with them.”

Meanwhile, Colette and Dan are enjoying the empty-nest phase of life, reconnecting by playing music together, hiking, and spending time at Kerr Scott Lake.

“I am missing my kids,” Colette says, “but I’m also discovering that because I enjoyed that part of my life so much, Dan and I spent more time focused on family, and less time focused on each other. I’m also realizing I can stay out late. It’s kinda fun.”

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

NOVEMBER 2014

37

highcountrycourtesies

Holiday Newsletteran1d01 Connecting Celebrating with s Family and Friend

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The holiday tradition of sending cards and endof-the-year newsletters transcends distance, connecting us with family and friends. Receiving personal messages of well wishes, and sharing updates, reminds us of our impact and influence on others, of our belonging to a wider circle.

Although digital greetings are gaining in popularity, the opportunity to hold a tangible card in one’s hands, to have a printed photo to mount on the refrigerator, to re-read a newsletter long after the holiday bustle has ended, still trumps the easier digital media form of greeting.

While the effort required to write and send notes is sometimes an extra burden in the hustle-bustle of the holiday season, the impact on relationships is immeasurable. The following ideas may streamline your process of writing an annual holiday letter.

Prepare:

Start early. As you picture the faces of those to whom you are writing, consider what news from your clan will lift their spirits.

What details will interest or please them?

How have you and your family been affected by the events, lessons, highs and lows of the year? Share your feelings about the events rather than relating a journalistic review of the “who, what, how and when” of the year. How has the pleasure of becoming a parent, grandparent, in-law or spouse affected you? In the losses of the year, what comforted you? What have you learned about yourself this year?

As you contemplate your message, consider what type of news you would like to hear from others. This path may result in two versions of your letter: one for more intimate family and friends, and one for acquaintances.

Additionally, remember to identify people who are not in your immediate family for clarification (“Faith, my son Sam’s girlfriend, accompanied us…”).

Perspective:

Be creative in your approach. If you feel like breaking free of a monthly report of events, try one of these ideas: Write in the voice of another family member, relating events from their viewpoint. (“We welcomed my new baby sister in June. Boy, does she sleep a lot and wear a lot of pink.”)

Use a “Top 10 List” of the most exciting occurrences of the year. (#10:“ Our youngest daughter graduated from college and is on her own; our empty nest is a certainty now”).

Introduce some of the important events in your life by using a numerical representation for “the year in numbers” approach: (“2: The number of hip surgeries I’ve had this year. My first broken bone has been a real adventure, but I am recuperating nicely; 1,000: My numerous thanks to all my family and friends who have supported, encouraged and cheered me on this year in the healing process. I couldn’t do this without you.”)

Use letters of a specific word to begin each paragraph.

Your last name, a holiday, like, Christmas or your hometown, are options. (CARLTON- Can’t believe a year has passed…

Autumn brought visits from some of our favorite “leaf-looker” family members) For those with the gift of rhyme, a poem provides an entertaining format. (“Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the house…”)

Perfection — not:

Comment on aspects of your remarkable life, family and accomplishments without bragging. When sharing a grand success, balance the scales by including a light-hearted dose of reality. Readers want to share your joy, but self-aggrandizing is boring. (“Our oldest daughter graduated summa cum laude from Duke this year and spent a month travelling through Europe. Now she embarks on the world of finding a job and paying her student loans.”)

Paragraphs:

Keep your paragraphs short. Shorter paragraphs make your text more accessible and help keep information better organized than one large paragraph. Using one font also improves readability. For emphasis, try varying the size of the font or incorporating bold or italicized font.

Page:

A one-page newsletter is easier to mail and easier to read.

Big news, large families with much to share, photos printed on the newsletter (and “wordy” columnists) earn a pass to continue text on the back of the page.

Photo:

A picture is worth a thousand words, indeed. Do include photos in the body of the letter, or separately. Seeing how the kids are growing, viewing the new additions of children, spouses, grandchildren and pets, or glimpsing a sight of an exciting adventure, is sure to provoke a smile.

Personalize:

Let each recipient of your letter know that you are thinking about them, specifically. Write a personal note expressing your concern, congratulations, or hope for a situation in their lives, as you sign each letter.

A holiday newsletter is a simple way to connect and maintain important relationships. This holiday season, as you share your joys and challenges with your family and friends, take this opportunity to remind them of their influence and their significance in your life. Celebrate your circle of community and cheer each other as your gift to those who matter in your life.

Happy Holidays!

Sharon Carlton Sharon Carlton, High Country Courtesies ©2014 Sharon Carlton writes and speaks on modern etiquette and life skill topics. She encourages others through High Country Courtesies Dining Etiquette and Customer Service Workshops. Contact her at sharoncarlton@charter.net NOVEMBER 2014

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Photo by Yogi Collins

June Smith, Super Nurse 40

NOVEMBER 2014

From the glowing words shared with me by her co-workers,, I expected June Smith, a nurse at Watauga Medical Center, to wear a cape bearing a triangle with the letters “SN” to signify her “super nurse” status. As it turns out, she’s so modest that she most likely hides her cape and nameplate.

An “Air Force brat” by her own description whose family moved frequently until her parents retired to Reidsville, June, now in her 30th year as a nurse, credits her Aunt Betty for encouraging her in this career that she loves; she laughs when she recalls how green she was (literally) when she first started.

“I was a candy striper in the hospital where Aunt Betty worked in the intensive care unit,” she says, “The first procedure I saw with her, I got real queasy and just about passed out. I thought I’d never make it as a nurse.”

Despite the shaky start, June stuck with it. When she and her husband, Bob, decided, in1999, that they’d like to move with their toddler son, Zachary, to the mountains, she applied for and accepted a position with Watauga Medical Center as a home health nurse.

“I did that for seven years and then, Tracy Hurley, the wound ostomy/ continence nurse at the time, decided to retire,” June says.

“She was my mentor, so when she asked if I’d be interested in going to school to become a WOC nurse and take her job, I said yes. The hospital was very generous in sending me to school and allowing me to come back and start working here.”

A WOC nurse cares for patients with issues stemming from ostomies, surgically created openings that allow waste to exit the body.

“The position evolved from taking care of ostomy patients, to also taking care of their wounds,” June says. “Then it evolved to continence, because when you’re incontinent, your skin can become irritated. That’s how it all evolved into WOC as a specialty.”

In 2010, Watauga Medical Center opened a specialized wound care center and appointed June as the clinical manager.

“Managing is a learning experience for me,” June says, with a laugh, “but patient care is what I like the most. I love the ostomy patients. I love helping them go from ‘I don’t like this’ to ‘maybe I can deal with this.’”

In fact, her co-workers point out that June establishes “amazing connections” with her patients and doesn’t let the clock dictate how she cares for them.

“That’s one of the things you can do more with a specialty,” she says. “With a new patient with an ostomy, it may take 45 minutes to an hour in their first visit with you while they learn to change everything. You just don’t have the time to do that on the nursing floor.

I get lost in the time because, if the patient needs something that I can give them, then that’s what I do. That’s what I love to do.”

Yozette ‘Yogi’ Collins A WOC nurse is not a role that just anyone can fill, but June proves every day that it’s Mom, television producer/writer, and part of her calling. And, yes, in the eyes of those she serves and with whom she works, she obsessive internet researcher. Though her name suggests otherwise, she is not deserves the cape. June Smith is a super nurse. (yet) an actual yogi.

A trusted name when you need that helping hand

828.963.8233

apphomecare.com NOVEMBER 2014

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BEAUTY

Bagging the makeup that’s right for you Helping women feel, look and be beautiful is what I love to do.

I have the dream career — doing all the things I love to do after having done all things I had to do. Who would have thought that, at the age of 64, I would get to launch a new, exciting and rewarding fun career? And yet, here I am, seven years later, picking up more speed than ever.

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Yes, God has truly blessed me with this vision. To my readers, I’m all about helping you, and I want to always “keep it real” and write about things that you want to hear.

I am constantly asking my friends what their makeup/skincare concerns are.

I hope I’m hitting the mark, because I’m sure aiming for it.

The following hints and tips are the result of questions from my clients,

friends, family and just random folk who make inquiries. I hope they answer some of your questions, too, and help you as you dig through your makeup bag.

Powder Tips ■ To avoid uneven distribution, always tap off excess powder from the brush

before applying to the face.

■ When using powder products, such as blush, bronzer or eye shadows, apply a light application of loose or pressed powder, first. This is the best way to ensure smooth blending. Powder blushes applied directly to the skin will “grab” in oily areas, creating a blotchy application.

lashes and liner don’t connect. Brush over pencil liner with shadow powder to soften and ensure the pencil doesn’t move or fade away.

■ Do not put on mounds of eyeliner, as you will look like a raccoon, about three hours later.

■ Soften bottom liner, as it should never appear harsh and heavy.

■ Cream blush goes on before powder.

Remember — wet products first, then powder products. I always powder over cream blush with a translucent, then sweep on powder blush. This avoids the cream ‘grabbing’ too much color and increases staying power.

■ Start your shadow application at the outer corners of the eye, working inward, toward the nose. This method deposits the most color near the outer corner and makes the eye appear larger.

■ To give more depth to your face, try using two shades of blush: lighter on top and darker just below the cheekbone. Be very subtle though — blush is not a substitute for liposuction of the cheeks. Use it to add glow, not to create unnatural hollows.

■ Mascara, like liner, goes on easier if you slightly open your mouth.

■ I apply my blush slightly higher now that I have hit a certain age. It gives lift to the face.

■ A little (and I do mean a little) amount of blush or bronzer swept across lids, brow bone, nose, chin and forehead will add radiance to your face.

■ Mature eyes need to avoid all metallic, shiny eye shadow, as it puts any ‘creepiness’ on display.

Concealer ■ To cover dark/black or redness, use a yellow-toned concealer; purple/blue or bruise, use salmon.

■ To decrease puffiness, use a darker

shade and blend.

■ For rosacea or pigmentation, use a concealer brush and blend.

Lip Tips ■ Lip-liner pencil should be the same color as your lipstick. Outline lips and completely fill in.

■ To avoid color from bleeding, and to erase fine lines around the lips, cover lips with foundation, set with powder and apply lip liner, then lipstick.

■ A simple trick to change your look is to seasonally change your lip colors: great colors for Fall 2014 are rich reds, berries and warm neutrals.

When doubting yourself, remember the words of film director, Garry Marshall: “All women are beautiful — makeup helps them believe they are.”

Stay beautiful!

Marion Edwards Marion Edwards is a Licensed Esthetician, Professional Makeup Artist and Certified Trainer for Motives Cosmetics. She can be contacted at (828) 262-5954.

■ For those of us who are of a certain age, remember, too much powder will add texture that emphasizes lines and wrinkles.

Eye Tips ■ Use an eye primer on your lids to hold the color. Always powder lids with a translucent before applying shadow; this helps give it a base to prevent color fading.

■ When using an eye pencil, open your mouth slightly to relax the eye muscles. It will make lining a lot easier, and you will not have to pull or tug at your lid.

■ Begin lining your lash line from outer corner to where lashes end, moving toward the nose.

■ Don’t worry about creating a perfect line — just connect dots or dashes along the lash line. Apply liner as close to the lash line as possible to avoid the white line you get when NOVEMBER 2014

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‘The Ghost of Deep Gap’ rises from author’s lively imagination Monroe resident Phyllis McManus recently wrote a book about a little mountain town with healing powers called Deep Gap; she just didn’t know there was such a place until she posted her book cover and information about its release on Facebook.

“It just went wild at that point,” she says. “It was a total surprise to me when I learned there was truly a place called Deep Gap. In one post, Phyllis says, someone had inquired if the book was about “their” Deep Gap. “This is how I got to meet a very nice woman named Marsha Cornejo Greene,” she recalls. “A few weeks later, my husband, Don, and I visited Deep Gap and Marsha drove us around this beautiful place. I fell in love with this area and plan to visit it again on one of our many trips to Boone and the surrounding area.”

Her book, Phyllis says, is not only about a place she envisioned in her mind as Deep Gap, but the title is actually, “The Ghost of Deep Gap,’ and was written at the request of her grandson, Chad.

“When he asked me to write a book for him, I told him that I would do my best, but it would be under my terms; that It would be written around the years 1946 - 48, and that he would have to be on the cover of my book.”

He agreed, she says. “So I got busy.”

The family of three that Phyllis wrote about had moved to a little town in the mountains called Deep Gap, which she says, “in my imagination, was a small town with wonderful people struggling to make it during this time period.”

The story line follows the Butner family from the city to their “new home” in

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the North Carolina Mountains, where they hoped the family matriarch would find relief in the mountain air for her tuberculosis.

“Chad Butner, the young boy, had to keep the illness of his mother, Audrey, a secret because people were scared of getting this deadly disease,” says Phyllis.

His father, Clyde placed an incredible amount of trust in their son to not only keep the family news under wraps, but also avoid drawing attention to the fact that Chad’s parents would be “away” for a while, as Audrey sought healing at the sanatorium in Black Mountain.”

Left to basically fend for himself, Chad soon learned he was not the only one hiding secrets in the town of Deep Gap. As the central character in the book, the youngster almost immediately formed an alliance with a young mountain girl named Emily who quickly won his heart.

Why did the Ghost of Deep Gap walk the mountains in the dark of night? Why did the people of Deep Gap whisper of a crazy woman that placed her dead baby in a moonshine jar? Was the baby the Ghost of Deep Gap that roamed the hills looking for a final resting place?

Would Chad be able to keep his family secret and still win the heart of the young mountain girl — or would her own secret tear them apart?

Page by page, Phyllis removes the mysteries of the mountain town as Chad, like peeling an onion, removes layers to long-held legends and gossip. Local storeowner, Gertie, the town gossip and

her gentle, humble husband, Mason, with a big heart who has little time for his wife’s pot-stirring, add remarkable color to the story, as do a few other key players in town.

Chad was determined to unravel the truth of the mountains before it destroyed the place he had finally learned to call home. He soon discovered that a secret could turn into a lie and change many lives that are involved.

Even if the author’s Deep Gap was based on her imagination, the story easily fits into our mountain lore and logic.

With page-turning anticipation, Phyllis presents her readers with scenarios similar to many of those legends we have heard about, passed from one generation to another.

Featured on the book cover, as she promised her grandson, is his picture taken near Grandfather Mountain a short while ago. The photograph easily depicts a young mountain lad as he might’ve looked in the ‘40s.

“Chad actually enjoyed the attention he was getting from on lookers while I was acting as photographer,” she concludes.

About the author Phyllis McManus and her husband of 46 years make their home in Monroe.

They are the parents of one son and are grandparents to their now “famous” grandson.

For many years, Phyllis worked with emotionally handicapped children in the school system before transitioning to a career working with mentally and physically handicapped young adults.

“After several years in this field, I began developing an illness called Meniere’s disease,” she says. “After being diagnosed, I had to give up the job I loved. I could barely take care of myself, let alone those precious people I had grown to love.”

Her problems were compounded, when on February 11, 2002, she says, her world, as she knew it, stopped.

While at the doctor’s office, she received a phone call with a person on the other end summoning her home immediately. No answers to questions were given, she recalls. “But, I knew it had to be bad.”

As her husband pulled their car into the driveway, he saw her sisters standing there, waiting for her arrival.

“I didn’t have to ask, but I knew that something had happened to my parents,” Phyllis says. “My sister opened my car door and my question was, ‘Which one?’

Her answer will haunt me forever. She hung her head and said, ‘Both.’ I didn’t have to ask if they were dead, I knew. My life changed forever with that one-word answer.”

Her parents had been killed in a car accident, with her father at fault, she says.

“He had pulled out in front of a large truck; both (my parents) were thrown from the vehicle. Even though they were both wearing seatbelts, the impact was so hard that it tore the seatbelts apart.”

Phyllis remembers only bits and pieces of the next few weeks.

“The funeral was the first double funeral our church had ever experienced,” she painfully remembers. “The amount of people that came to honor our parents was overwhelming.”

After “walking around in a daze, not knowing what to do,” she finally gave in to see her family doctor.

“He told me I had been in a form of shock and I had to seek help,” she says.

The wholesome childhood provided by her parents proved to be great inspiration for written works by regional author, Phyllis McManus.

Photo submitted

“He knew I kept a journal, so he told me to write everything I felt — no matter how hard.”

Phyllis took it one step further and decided to write a book containing stories that she had heard from her parents since childhood “It was about their first meeting, young love and their hard struggle after they got married to make a life for their family,” she describes. “Soon, I was writing hours upon hours, but more tears than words were appearing on my paper.”

As the story line began to develop, Phyllis decided to add her own spin and transition the book into a work of fiction.

Within six months she had finished “Forever Girl,” her first book.

“My dad always called Mama, ‘Girl’ and he told her he would love her forever, thus the title for my book,” she says.

Since then, the author’s repertoire has grown and now contains five books with more on the way.

She discovered writing as a passion that gives her peace,” she says. “As I sit now at my computer typing chapter after chapter, I like to think that mama and daddy are smiling — knowing I am doing this for them.”

Phyllis has also become a highly

sought-after public speaker and an inspiration to budding authors.

Her own inspiration to write is still based on the wholesome childhood her parents provided, she says. “They raised me in a Christian home where we were taught to believe that everything is possible if you put your faith in God.” In addition to her first, “Forever Girl, and her last, “The Ghost of Deep Gap,” her other titles include: “The Long Dirt Road,” “The Lie That Binds” and “The Southern Belle Breakfast Club.”

She also writes poems and short stories, with one of her poems, “The Edge of Darkness,” about Alzheimer’s disease, winning first place in a nationwide contest sponsored by the Union County Writers Club.

“My mama had that awful disease and so we lived it with her every day,” she adds.

Phyllis’s works may be purchased through Amazon.com and are available on Kindle. sherrie norris Editor, All About Women

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DAR names Jamie Hickman wilson Outstanding Teacher of American History

Left: Jamie Hickman Wilson, 2014 Outstanding DAR Teacher of American History, second from left, is pictured with DAR Regent Mary Moretz, Watauga High School principal, Marshal Gasperson, left, and Watauga County Schools Superintendent, Scott Elliott, far right. Photo by Sherrie Norris Middle: Jamie works hard to balance her busy schedule between work and quality time with her husband, Ted. Photo Submitted Right: Jamie loves spending time on the golf course, coaching as well as playing a round with her dad. Photo Submitted

Jamie Hickman Wilson of Blowing Rock was named Outstanding Teacher of American History during the October 8 monthly meeting of the Daniel Boone Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

“Jamie has an outstanding reputation among her peers and her students,” says local DAR Regent, Mary Moretz “She came to us highly recommended for this honor, and when interviewed her, I began to understand that she is much more than a history teacher and why she deserved this recognition” A native of Maiden, Jamie attended Maiden High school where she graduated as her class valedictorian in 1997. As a recipient of the Teaching Fellows Scholarship, Jamie attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in history

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in May 2001; a year later, she received her master’s degree through the masters in teaching program for social studies education, which, in addition to her history degree, required courses included political science, psychology, anthropology, sociology, and geography.

Teaching Experience Jamie came to Watauga High School in 2009 where she teaches U.S. and world history, (honors and advanced placement) and also serves as the women’s golf coach.

In 2010, Wilson became nationally board certified in social studies, history, adolescence and young adulthood.

Prior to coming to Boone, she taught for two years at North Wilkes High and at West Brunswick High School, where she taught history and geography, as well as civics and economics, and coached cross-

country and track Wilson’s career choice was “definitely” inspired by her parents and other relatives, she said. “My parents are both teachers, and so are most of my aunts and uncles — and now, my brother and me.”

She grew up with the understanding that teachers make a difference in their students’ lives.

“I saw the positive affects my parents had on their own students, and in high school, I had several really important teachers, especially Nan VanHoy and Mary Sturgill, who set high standards for me and helped me stretch beyond my perceived limitations.”

Likewise, Wilson believes her job, as a teacher, is to help students see their own potential.

History was her favorite subject, she admitted, “But, I just enjoyed school and learning; that’s probably why I chose to never leave.”

History-Related Professional Activities Developing as a lifelong learner, Jamie says, “is the single greatest investment I can make in my teaching career.”

For two consecutive years, 2003 and 2004, she spent five weeks traveling through several nations in Europe, which impacted her career greatly.

“I visited a concentration camp liberated by the Allies in World War II, saw the developments that have been made though the investments by the U.S. in Eastern Europe since the fall of communism, and explored the impact the U.S. has had, globally, through the United Nations,” she says. “I was also able to have discourse with travelers from around the world, and was able to share about our national and regional heritage with many who had not ever traveled to the U.S.” During the summers of 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2014, Jamie worked with the Konnarock Trail Crew program through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to build, restore and maintain parts of the AT in North Carolina and Virginia.

“While on the surface, this does not sound like an activity that would enhance my teaching, it has had a significant impact,” she says. “The work that we do on the AT is often repairing the work of Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration crews from the 1930s, and despite the many years that have passed, we utilize many of the same tools and methods.”

The experiences have given new life to her lessons on the Great Depression, she says, “as I have tremendous insight as to the type of work the CCC and WPA did during that crucial time in our nation’s history.”

In 2006, she joined with other North Carolina teachers for a trip to Montana to study the preparation, journey, and leadership of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. “This greatly enriched my teaching by giving me in-depth knowledge of an important pair of leaders in our nation’s early history,” she says.

In 2008, she spent a week of summer at Harvard University, studying a new reference and teaching resource, the “African American National Biography,” with its authors Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Evelyn Higginbotham.

“That week was spent investigating the African-American heritage of Boston, as well as the biographies of influential and lesser-known African Americans,” she describes. “ I worked with a group of teachers from around the nation to create a presentation about the early development of hip-hop music, which utilized the ‘African American National Biography,’ as well as primary source material.

Jamie’s personal interest — and family history — related to the Holocaust, led her to the Belfer Conference, hosted by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in the summer of 2009; her grandfather was part of a unit that liberated Ohrdruf Concentration Camp.

The conference brought together teachers from across the U.S. to explore the museum, hear from scholars and Holocaust survivors, and to plan ways to incorporate the study of the Holocaust into both history and literature courses.

“The summer of 2010 paved the way for my entrance into teaching Advanced Placement U.S. History,” she says. “Although the college board does not require completion of training in order to teach their courses, I found it tremendously helpful. I was able to create a network of AP educators from across the region, and I gained insight into the rigors and challenges that an AP course requires.”

In 2011, Jamie returned to Montana to study the development of mining, the labor movement, and the west.

“Through this seminar, I discovered several outstanding historical works, and I have incorporated one of them, Michael Punke’s ‘Fire and Brimstone,’ into my AP US History course,” she says. “ This book intertwines the story of the Granite Mountain mine explosion of 1917 with the story of World War I and the development of the labor movement in Montana.”

Her students have really enjoyed using specific examples in the book to support conversations about some of the larger topics of history, she says, “ I also created a lesson plan utilizing the collection of the Montana Historical Society that has been published on their website.

In October 2012, Jamie traveled to Chicago to study the Black Chicago Renaissance, which she describes as “a fairly new body of historical knowledge,” and “cousin of the Harlem Renaissance,

which involved visual arts and literature, but also politics, dance, journalism and an educational movement.”

It was “thrilling,” she says, to spend the week learning from experts and the historians involved in creating the body of knowledge surrounding this period in history.

As a part of the program, she worked with other high school history teachers to create a unit plan that incorporated various aspects of the Black Chicago Renaissance, which was published on the website of the Chicago Metro History Education Center.

Most recently, in 2013, Jamie traveled to the Adirondacks of upstate New York to study the Gilded Age tycoons and their great camps, as well as the industrialization of the period and its relationship to the wilderness.

“I have been able to incorporate many of the landmarks I visited, and several documents that I found in our search of the Adirondack Museum’s archives, into my teaching of the Gilded Age,” she says., “During this seminar, I worked with a group of educators to create a mini-documentary about the importance of leisure in the Great Camps of the Adirondacks.”

Jamie has attended too many seminars and training sessions to name, and has served, and continues to serve, on various committees within the community and state education level. She is a mentor trainer, working with lead teachers from Watauga’s school district to train mentors at all grade levels and in all schools, as well as a mentor/cooperating teacher, working with beginning teachers and student teachers to help them develop as professional educators.

Since 2008, Jamie has been a member of Faithbridge United Methodist Church, where she serves as chairperson of the Family Care Team Chairperson, is a children’s ministry volunteer, and coordinates transportation.

She also serves, since 2008, on the advisory staff at Blowing Rock Conference Center, for summer running camps, and volunteers with facilities and hospitality staff. sherrie norris Editor, All About Women

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Some of My

Favorite Things Through the years, many people have asked what I love most about the Blue Ridge Mountains.

I usually think first of the change of seasons, because I love them all.

Summer, with the gorgeous wildflowers and lush greenery, warm sunny days and cool nights, all make living in the Blue Ridge pleasant. Goldenrod and chicory are my favorite wildflowers.

Goldenrod has been especially beautiful this year and I wish chicory blooms lasted longer.

But, then, fall is absolutely beautiful, and the word “gorgeous” comes to mind again. One can almost watch the leaves change color right before his or her eyes.

One day, I thought the slight crackling sound in the woods around my house was actually the leaves changing. It was almost magical.

After the colors of fall begin to fade and disappear completely, the trees are bare, with the exception of the evergreens; then, in marches winter.

I happen to be a “winter” person. I was born in January and I love snow. I love to bundle up, put on my boots, and walk in the snow. I also love the crunchy sound we make as we walk through the snow.

And, then sometimes, we have to deal with winter-related problems. I’ve slid on my steep ice-covered driveway more times than one and had the wits scared out of me. Frozen and broken water pipes have caused me a lot stress through the years, but those problems are “fixable.”

School bus drivers and their precious passengers are always on my mind when the weather is bad, as are my family and friends — and always in my prayers as they drive back and forth to work.

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The good days outweigh the bad for me. But, then, I’m retired and can stay inside and write.

Just when one thinks that the trees will never “come to life” again, spring finally arrives, but sometimes the arrival is only on the calendar, at first, anyway.

In this amazing Blue Ridge area, we have to wait patiently for the look and feel of spring. But, it’s always worth the wait.

Mother Nature has her hands full as she breathes life back into the mountains.

Slowly but surely, it returns. Tender buds pop out on the trees and beautiful dogwoods bloom everywhere.

Crocuses usually bloom first and then daffodils. I had never seen trillium before moving to the mountains — I love how their blooms blanket the woods like delicate carpet.

Even more than my love for the seasonal changes, I love the people.

The first week after our move to the High Country, my late husband, Sam, and I were befriended by strangers.

Some of you know this story, but many do not.

We lived in a camper, but desperately needed a place to store our furniture, which was in a rental truck that was due to be returned. (Thirty-eight years ago, mini warehouses were not available in Watauga County.)

As we drove around searching for a suitable place, we noticed some people standing out in their yard, and Sam said, “I’m going to ask those folks if they know of a place we can rent.”

“Those folks” did know of a place, not for us to rent, but a place in which we could store our furniture until our building could be built.

That building happened to become

“The Boone Place,” where we had an apartment in which to live and the country cafe in which to make our living — and later on, Sam’s dream for a hardware store.

“Those folks” did not even live where we saw them. They were visiting the Miller family on Old Highway 421 in Zionville.

Johnny and Evelyn Lawrence lived in Trade, Tenn., at that time, and their home was for sale.

As the first friends we made here in the High Country, they included in the contract that we would be able to keep our belongings in the basement of that home until our building was constructed.

The Lawrences did not know us, or anything about us.

We did not know them, but God knew us all and brought us together. I believe that with all my heart.

Our business thrived over the years.

We met many people who became loyal to us and treated us like family.

Not only that, but it wasn’t until my move to the mountains that I realized I was a writer. Wonderful unexpected opportunities came my way and people encouraged me to write.

God waited for me to open my gift of writing until I was here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, among the people He had chosen to be with me on this journey.

So, that’s why I love the people here more than the change of seasons — more than anything. sHERRY BOONE Local writer who shares her personal stories with others in hopes that they, too, will be comforted by some of life’s sweet memories.

Giving Thanks Thanksgiving is a favorite annual observance for many of us.

It’s predictable, really, in a number of ways, as it always falls on the fourth Thursday in November, and for days prior, most American cooks begin planning their traditional meal.

For many of us, the spread includes turkey and all the trimmings, such as sweet potatoes, homemade stuffing (or dressing), gravy, green beans, cranberries, pumpkin pie and similar dishes and desserts.

We don’t have to be the world’s greatest gourmet cooks to produce a Thanksgiving meal worthy of rave reviews, and as in most culinary functions today, there are shortcuts to be enjoyed.

The easiest and most efficient way I’ve found to prepare a turkey is to place one thawed bird into an appropriate-sized (purchased) baking bag and follow directions. It might be cheating to some, but the results will ease any pangs of guilt. Your turkey will be moist and delicious, I promise.

There is no substitute for homemade dressing, or stuffing, as it is often referred to, but I do have a simple, delectable recipe that will make it look like you worked for hours.

We’ve come a long way since that first Thanksgiving, celebrated in 1621, but we’ve never gotten too far from recognizing it as one of the true American holidays — a time for gatherings among families and friends, and, as we all know, a time for good food.

May you be blessed and forever thankful on Thursday, Nov. 27, and every day to follow.

Pumpkin Dip 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened 2 cups powdered sugar 1 cup canned pumpkin ½ cup sour cream 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice ½ tsp. ground ginger Gingersnap cookies In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.

Beat in the pumpkin, sour cream, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and ginger until blended.

Serve with gingersnaps. Refrigerate leftovers.

Pecan Cranberry Spread 8 oz. cream cheese, softened ½ cup chopped pecans ½ cup dried cranberries 4 Tbs. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed Crackers In a small bowl, stir together cream cheese, pecans, cranberries and orange juice concentrate. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to blend flavors. Garnish as desired. Serve with crackers.

Just Like Granny’s Stuffing 1 cup onion, chopped 1 cup celery, chopped ½ cup butter or margarine 4 cups crumbled bread (can be combination of corn bread, loaf bread and packaged stuffing mix) 1 to 2 Tbs. rubbed dried sage (may need more, depending on personal preference) 2 eggs, beaten About 2 cups chicken broth, or enough to moisten mixture well Sauté onion and celery in butter; combine with breadcrumbs, sage and eggs, in a large bowl. Add enough broth to moisten mixture and hold together.

Stuff turkey or bake separately in large pan for about 30-45 minutes.

Pumpkin Crisp 2 cups (1 large can) pumpkin 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 lg. can evaporated milk 1 box yellow cake mix 1 cup nuts, chopped 2 sticks butter or margarine Mix together first 5 ingredients and place in a 9 x 13-inch greased pan. Sprinkle cake mix on top of pumpkin mixture. Add nuts on top of cake mix. Melt butter and pour on top of nuts.

Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes, until done. Let cool.

Frosting: 8 oz. cream cheese, softened ¾ cup Cool Whip 1½ cup powdered sugar Mix together and place on cooled pumpkin crisp.

Enjoy!

NOVEMBER 2014

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Photo by Sherrie Norris

‘Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.’

- Maya Angelou

50

NOVEMBER 2014

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