February PineStraw 2020 by PineStraw Magazine

Smile Wrinkles? Gummy Smile? TMJ Pain?

Botox Can Help. www.kuhndennst.com 910.218.9699

Oï¬&#x192;ce Hours: Mon-Thurs: 7:30am-3:30PM

1902 North Sandhills Blvd., Suite H Aberdeen, NC 28315

www.kuhndennst.com 910.218.9699

McDevitt town & country properties

V I S I T B H H S P R G .C O M F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N

2310 Midland Road, Pinehurst

10 Village Green Road, Old Town $2,989,999 5 bed / 5 bath Emily Hewson 910-315-3093 Pamela O’Hara 910-315-3324

$2,500,000

“Original Schoolhouse” built in 1898. Totally renovated with attention to quality detail. 1st fairway #2 golf course. Detached 1 bed / 1 bath garage apartment.

$949,000 4 bed / 6/1 bath Kay Beran 910-315-3322 Pat Wright 910-691-3224

Pamela O’Hara 910-315-3093

178 Lost Trail Drive, McLendon Hills $899,000

Gorgeous French Country Home in Pinewild Country Club. Over 6,000 sqft on lovely grounds.

4 bed / 4 bath

MLS 195762

Debbie Darby 910-783-5193

3 bed / 4/1 bath Jennifer Nguyen 910-585-2099 Karen Iampietro 910-690-7098

Chimbley House: c1922 has been completely renovated into an elegant updated home. Surrounded by a spectacular garden. Private but minutes from downtown.

MLS 193355

70 Laurel Road, Old Town 5 bed / 4/1 bath Emily Hewson 910-315-3093 Pamela O’Hara 910-315-3324

MLS 196830 t So

$1,400,000

$825,000

Peaceful horse farm and certified wildlife habitat. Custom home with wrap around porch, main floor master suite, and basement. 4 stall barn, riding area, and private trails.

Jennifer Nguyen 910-585-2099

Own a special part of Pinehurst history: “Pine Villa.” Original Tufts Cottage built in 1896. One block from the heart of the Village of Pinehurst.

MLS 196039

8 August Drive, Southern Pines 6 bed / 4/1 bath

MLS 192774

MLS 182223

Jus

$540,000

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own one of the largest pieces of property in Pinehurst. 16.74-acres within minutes of the Village.

4 bed / 4 bath

11 Oxton Circle, Pinewild Country

150 Crest Road, Southern Pines

165 SW Lake Forest Drive, Pinehurst $530,000

Golf front in MidSouth. High Ceilings, Light & Bright, Versatile Living Spaces, Great for Entertaining with Charming Screened Porch & Deck. Master on Main Level.

$489,000

Waterfront, well-built brick home with view of the lake. Stainless steel appliances, formal dining room, huge master suite. Large unfinished space with endless possibilities.

3 bed / 4/1 bath Tony Fairley 910-603-0642

MLS 194300

Pinehurst Office

7 Sedgefield Lane, Pinehurst No. 6 4 bed / 4 bath Chris Gavrelis 910-260-2259

MLS 197804

•

42 Chinquapin Road

•

Pinehurst, NC 28374

Golf front property in Pinehurst No. 6! Enjoy the spectacular views of the 16th fairway and green. 4 bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, and master on the main floor. A must see.

MLS 197026

•

910 –295 –5504

370 Breezy Pines Lane, Breezy Pines Farm $455,000 4 bed / 4 bath Pamela O’Hara 910-315-3093

Gorgeous home in Breezy Pines Farm, an equestrian community with only 5 homesites, on 11.63-acres in Carthage. Privacy galore. Very spacious home.

5 Furlong Place, Pinehurst $389,900 5 bed / 3/1 bath Deb Darby 910-783-5193

MLS 196273

Amazing home with abundant living space. Four bedrooms on main level with bonus and bath on second level. Located on a queit cul-de-sac in Pinehurst.

$358,000 3 bed / 2 bath Deb Darby 910-783-5193

Custom brick home with PCC membership close to the village of Pinehurst. Located in quiet cul-de-sac. High ceilings, fireplace.

MLS 196070

$365,000 4 bed / 3 bath Casey Barbera 910-639-4266

MLS 197493

t So

285 Sugar Gum Lane #51, Pinehurst $280,000 2 bed / 2 bath Debbie Darby 910-783-5193

Stunning Aronimink 2 bedroom/2 bath Golf Front Condo Under contract within 24 hours, closed in 32 days above asking price! Call me to talk about listing your property.

MLS 197360

New main level owner’s suite boasts trey ceilings, garden tub and tile shower. Additional space perfect for an office or play room. Bonus room over the garage rounds out this well appointed home.

MLS 197871 Jus

6 Meadowlark Lane, Pinehurst

2 Old Pool Road, Pinehurst

104 South McNeil Street, Carthage $198,830 Pamela O’Hara 910-315-3093

Old Carthage Fire Department. Great opportunity to own a commercial building and a piece of Carthage history in downtown Carthage!

MLS 193691

OPEN NOW

WWW.PINEHURSTTOYOTA.COM

COME IN AND SEE OUR NEW FACILITY!

February ��

FEATURES 69 The Arrow

Poetry by Ashley Wahl

70 A Legacy Imperiled

By Jim Moriarty Time and weather take their toll on Addor’s Rosenwald School

72 Desserts We Love By Jenna Biter

80 Cabin Fever

By Deborah Salomon Living high on the log

93 Almanac

By Ash Alder

DEPARTMENTS

23 26 31 33 35 39 43 45 47 49

Simple Life By Jim Dodson PinePitch Instagram Contest Good Natured By Karen Frye The Omnivorous Reader By D. G. Martin Bookshelf Hometown By Bill Fields In the Spirit By Tony Cross Wine Country By Angela Sanchez The Kitchen Garden By Jan Leitschuh

55 57 59 61 65 94 105 109 111 112

Mom Inc. By Renee Whitmore Out of the Blue By Deborah Salomon Birdwatch By Susan Campbell Sporting Life By Tom Bryant Golftown Journal By Lee Pace Arts & Entertainment Calendar SandhillSeen PineNeedler By Mart Dickerson The Accidental Astrologer By Astrid Stellanova Southwords By Jim Moriarty

Cover Photograph and This Page by John Koob Gessner 6

February 2020 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Get Ready for

April Showers 20% OFF

All Abyss & Habidecor Towels, Rugs & Robes The month of February Coupon Code: AprilShowers

Opulence of Southern Pines and DUXIANA at The Mews, 280 NW Broad Street, Downtown Southern Pines, NC 910.692.2744

at Cameron Village, 400 Daniels Street, Raleigh, NC 919.467.1781

at Sawgrass Village, 310 Front Street Suite 815 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 904.834.7280

www.OpulenceOfSouthernPines.com Serving the Carolinas & More for Over 20 Years â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Financing Available

Talent, Technology & Teamwork! Moore County’s Most Trusted Real Estate Team! SO TLY

O LY S

NT ECE

EN REC

PINEHURST • $385,000

5 LAKE PINEHURST VILLAS ROAD Immaculate and beautifully maintained 3 BR / 3 BA waterfront Townhome. Home offers spacious layout w/great water views of Lake Pinehurst.

PINEHURST • $319,000

110 SHADOW CREEK COURT Lovely 3 BR / 3 BA end-unit townhome in the Villas at Forest Hills community. Home features open floorplan throughout w/nice wooded privacy in back.

SOUTHERN PINES • $378,000

135 WIREGRASS LANE Attractive 5 BR / 3 BA two-story home w/spacious layout and great kitchen located in desirable Arboretum community.

DIN

PEN

PINEHURST • $459,000

55 GLASGOW DRIVE Exquisite 3 BR / 3.5 BA home w/beautiful views of the 3rd hole of the Challenge course and relaxing water feature in back.

SO TLY

PINEHURST • $495,000 20 POMEROY DRIVE Beautiful 3 BR / 2.5 BA custom home built by Bolton Builders. The home is situated in a nice location in Pinewild CC and offers great golf views!

SEVEN LAKES WEST • $489,900

110 CLAY CIRCLE Unique 4 BR / 3.5 BA waterfront home on Lake Auman in gorgeous Seven Lakes West. Home offers a bright and spacious floorplan.

Y SO NTL

EN REC

E REC

PINEHURST • $439,900

PINEHURST • $429,000

14 LOCH LOMOND COURT Delightful and secluded 3 BR / 3.5 BA waterfront home in popular Pinewild CC. Home offers spacious layout and lovely water views.

16 MONTROSE COURT Stunning 4 BR / 3.5 BA home offering open and airy floorplan w/beautiful hardwood flooring in main living areas and nice gourmet kitchen.

44 PINEWILD DRIVE Amazingly beautiful 3 BR / 2.5 BA single level home built by Jackie Speight. Home sits on 1 acre lot and overlooks the 5th hole of Pinewild CC Azalea course

PINEHURST • $377,500

SOUTHERN PINES • $399,900

PINEHURST • $475,000

5 VICTORIA WAY Elegant 3 BR / 3.5 BA Cotswold townhome. Townhome offers gourmet kitchen and spacious layout. It’s the ultimate in carefree living!

7 DEACON PALMER DRIVE Delightful 5 BR / 4 BA home in popular Mid-South Club. Floorplan is spacious w/over 3,600 sq ft of living space and private backyard overlooking 12th tee.

PINEHURST • $425,000

2 BLAIR PLACE Custom 3 BR / 2.5 BA brick and hardiplank home w/fairway views of 16th hole of PCC course #1. Home has recently been repainted and offers large wraparound front porch.

IN MOORE COUNTY REAL ESTATE FOR OVER 20 YEARS!

Luxury Properties Moore County’s Most Trusted Real Estate Team!

SO TLY

EN REC

O LY S

NT ECE

MCLENDON HILLS • $505,000

554 BROKEN RIDGE TRAIL Attractive 4 BR / 3.5 BA home on beautiful acreage w/great layout and nice salt water pool in back. Perfect reflection of NC Southern Charm!

PINEHURST • $610,000

20 CRAIG ROAD Alluring 4 BR / 4.5 BA in beautiful Old Town location. Home has bright, open floorplan, gourmet kitchen and tons of curb appeal.

PINEHURST • $565,000

49 GREYABBEY DRIVE Stunning 4 BR / 4.5 BA contemporary home on 7th hole of Pinewild CC’s Magnolia course. Interior is light and open w/beautiful gourmet kitchen.

O LY S

NT ECE

SEVEN LAKES WEST • $735,000

122 ANCHOR POINT Gorgeous 4 BR / 3.5 BA waterfront home on Lake Auman. This custom brick home offers lovely floorplan and spectacular water views.

PINEHURST • $799,000

102 STRATHAVEN COURT Elegant 4 BR / 3 Full BA 2 half BA golf front home l ocated on the signature hole of Pinehurst #9 course.

SEVEN LAKES WEST • $830,000

104 LEWIS POINT Grand waterfront 4 BR / 4.5 BA home on Lake Auman w/spacious layout and two-story window wall offering fabulous panoramic water views!

DIN

PEN

SEVEN LAKES WEST • $630,000

106 SUNSET POINT Amazing 3 BR / 3.5 BA custom brick and stone stunner. Home offers beautiful layout and is move-in ready and is truly a rare find on Lake Auman.

TLY

EN REC

PINEHURST • $745,000

115 BLUE ROAD Gorgeous 4 BR / 4.5 BA home in the Village of Pinehurst – truly a special property. Beautiful home inside and out. Lots of living space and space for entertaining.

PINEHURST • $619,000

37 STRATHAVEN DRIVE Elegant 3 BR / 3 Full BA 2 half BA French Country home overlooking the 11th hole of the Holly course. Truly one of the most beautiful homes in Pinewild!

SOL

TLY

EN REC

SEVEN LAKES WEST • $945,000

108 LOGAN COURT Amazing 4 BR / 4 full BA 2 half BA lakefront home on two premium wide water lots. Truly one of the most beautiful homes on Lake Auman.

PINEHURST • $879,000

102 BATTEN COURT Amazing 4 BR / 4 full BA 2 half BA home on Pinehurst #9 course. This home was featured in Southern Living magazine as the 1999 Idea House.

SOL

SEVEN LAKES WEST • $751,000 103 SUNRISE POINT Stunning 4 BR / 3 Full BA 2 half BA waterfront home on Lake Auman w/beautiful lake views and well appointed floorplan…..truly amazing!

Re/Max Prime Properties, 5 Chinquapin Rd., Pinehurst, NC 910-295-7100 • 800-214-9007

www.ThEGENTRYTEAM.COM

• 910-295-7100 • Re/Max Prime Properties 5 Chinquapin Rd., Pinehurst, NC

Serenity

eaSt Lake

M A G A Z I N E Volume 16, No. 2 David Woronoff, Publisher Jim Dodson, Editor

910.693.2506 • jim@pinestrawmag.com

Andie Stuart Rose, Creative Director

910.693.2467 • andie@pinestrawmag.com

Jim Moriarty, Senior Editor

910.692.7915 • jjmpinestraw@gmail.com

Alyssa Rocherolle, Graphic Designer

910.693.2508 • alyssa@pinestrawmag.com

Lauren M. Coffey, Graphic Designer

910.693.2469 • lauren@pinestrawmag.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Deborah Salomon, Staff Writer Mary Novitsky, Sara King, Proofreaders CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

John Koob Gessner, Laura Gingerich, Tim Sayer CONTRIBUTORS Tom Allen, Harry Blair, Tom Bryant, Susan Campbell, Bill Case, Wiley Cash, Tony Cross, Brianna Rolfe Cunningham, Mart Dickerson, Clyde Edgerton, Bill Fields, Laurel Holden, Jane Lear, Jan Leitschuh, Meridith Martens, D.G. Martin, Lee Pace, Romey Petite, Renee Whitmore, Joyce Reehling, Scott Sheffield, Stephen E. Smith, Astrid Stellanova, Angie Tally, Kimberly Taws, Ashley Wahl

PS ADVERTISING SALES

Ginny Trigg, Advertising Director 910.693.2481 • ginny@thepilot.com Terry Hartsell, 910.693.2513 Perry Loflin, 910.693.2514 Dacia Burch, 910.693.2519 Patty Thompson, 910.693.3576 Samantha Cunningham, 910.693.2505

20 Farmington Lane • CCNC • Pinehurst A perfect storm of quality, design, spatial balance, utility and taste combine to create incomparable beauty in this lakeside retreat. Built in 2010 with 4416 sq ft, highlights include: main floor master, gourmet kitchen, ceiling height, walnut and mahogany floors, wrapped by 3 stunning porches, 4 BR, 4.5 BA. Offered at $1,295,000

To view more photos, take a virtual tour or schedule a showing, go to:

www.clarkpropertiesnc.com

Maureen Clark when experience matters

Pinehurst • Southern Pines BHHS Pinehurst Realty Group • 910.315.1080 ©2015 BHH Affiliates, LLC. An independently operated subsidiary of HomeServices of American, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, and a franchisee of BHH Affiliates, LLC.

ADVERTISING COORDINATOR

Emily Jolly • pilotads@thepilot.com

ADVERTISING GRAPHIC DESIGN

Mechelle Butler, Scott Yancey

Steve Anderson, Finance Director 910.693.2497 Darlene Stark, Circulation Director 910.693.2488 SUBSCRIPTIONS

910.693.2488

OWNERS

Jack Andrews, Frank Daniels Jr., Frank Daniels III, Lee Dirks, David Woronoff 145 W. Pennsylvania Avenue, Southern Pines, NC 28387 www.pinestrawmag.com ©Copyright 2020. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. PineStraw magazine is published by The Pilot LLC

February 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

Fox Lake Farm • Southern Pines

Magnificent equestrian property on 48 acres encompassing a pristine lake. Renovated in 2006, the farm features 5782 sq ft hunt-box, 16 stall barn, indoor arena, 11 paddocks, & more. Offered at $3,750,000

140 North Valley Road • Southern Pines

Loblolly, a Southern Pines historic treasure, located on a quiet, tree-lined street, is a lovely combination of unparalleled building elegance embraced by comfortable living features. 5BR, 5BA, 8,050 sf. Offered at $1,650,000

Maureen Clark

910.315.1080 • www.clarkproperties.com

8 Middlebury Road • Pinehurst This stunning golf retreat, overlooking the “unforgiving” par 4, 12th hole of the North Course in Forest Creek, captures the views at every opportunity. 3BR, 3.5BA 4,425 sf. Offered at $930,000

949 Sheldon Road • Southern Pines

Occupying a premier 10.31-acres in Horse Country, this pristine hunt box borders a private and beautiful corner of the W.M. Foundation. 2BR, 2BA, 2,625 sq. ft. Offered at $895,000

16 Birkdale Drive • Forest Creek • Pinehurst Extraordinary, custom built home nestled on quiet cul-de-sac in prestigious Forest Creek Golf Club. Built 2017, 4 BR, 4.5 BA, magnificent kitchen, upscale appliances, 3 car garage, main floor master, 4090 sq ft. $825,000

5 Merion Place • CCNC • Pinehurst Rambling, fun-filled home on 5 acres, has it all for family living: 2 family rooms with fireplaces, 4 BR, 4.2 BA, guest apartment, main floor master, 5500 sq ft., 3 car garage. $899,000.

Berkshire Hathaway HomeSercies and the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices symbol are registered service marks of HomeServices of America, Inc.® Equal Housing Opportunity.Housing Opportunity.

Always a Step Ahead

There are over 600 Real Estate agents in Moore County. Amy Stonesifer is among the top 5.

Sample Home Design

Private Community Pool

Southern Pines, NC 28387

Member Clubhouse

Serving Moore County and Surrounding Areas! 910.684.8674 | 120 N ASHE ST | SOUTHERN PINES, NC 28387

www.maisonteam.com

MLS 194958 106 BLUEGRASS COURT Aberdeen, NC • $292,500

MLS 197962 112 BLUEGRASS COURT Aberdeen, NC • $292,750

MLS 197321 125 RILEY LANE Cameron, NC • $259,000

MLS 197622 449 PALISADES DRIVE Aberdeen, NC • $309,500

MLS 196940 16401 LAKESHORE DRIVE Wagram, NC • $229,000

MLS 196069 216 VANDERBUILT COURT Aberdeen, NC • $302,250

MLS 194850 107 BLUEGRASS COURT Aberdeen, NC • $296,250

MLS 197046 407 PALISADES DRIVE Aberdeen, NC • $292,500

MLS 197045 401 PALISADES DRIVE Aberdeen, NC • $292,500

MLS 197589 334 MACDOUGALL DRIVE West End, NC • $450,000

MLS 195534 104 PREAKNESS COURT $285,000

MLS 196375 1220 BURNING TREE ROAD Pinehurst, NC • $340,000

Buy, Sell or Rent through us- we do it all! 910.684.8674 | 120 N ASHE ST | SOUTHERN PINES, NC 28387

A West Coast Lifestyle Boutique

CoolSweats in the Village of Pinehurst 910.295.3905 Monday through Saturday 10 am - 5 pm

Turn Up The Romance This Valentine’s Day Aging, childbirth and genetics can all contribute to body changes, but there’s one area that isn’t discussed often: the vagina. Women all over the world are impacted with symptoms like less sensation, painful intercourse and incontinence due to weakened vaginal tissues, muscles, and loss of collagen. If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone, and you have options. Contact Williamson Gynecology for more information!

START THE CONVERSATION TODAY!

Make an appointment with one of our board certified gynecology providers to see if a treatment is right for you.

The first 15 patients to mention this ad will receive 10% OFF a treatment package. 3 Regional Circle, Suite B Pinehurst, NC 28374 • 910-215-0111 ext. 5 • www.williamsongyn.com

MAINTENANCE-FREE RETIREMENT NO ENTRY FEE For many seniors, Quail Haven Village is a comfortable fit for retirement living. Quail Haven is a friendly community that is instantly warm and welcoming, where neighbors quickly become friends and staff know residents by name. All of the apartment homes are exceptionally livable, as floor plans are single story with no long hallways and no elevators. Delicious meals and housekeeping are included in the monthly rent, freeing you up to enjoy the many engaging social, educational and cultural activities available to you in the community and the Pinehurst area.

Call 910-295-2294 to schedule a personal tour today. Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. | 155 Blake Blvd. • Pinehurst

ss ele tim COMFORT PRESIDENTS DAY EVENT

ON ALL FJORDS RECLINERS*

&STYLE SAVE UP TO

600

Free White Glove Delivery

ON SELECT MATTRESSES

FIND YOUR STYLE AT RETAILER NAME

RETAILER INFO

we’ve got your back (support)

*Offer valid January 26–February 24, 2020, at participating retailers only. Save $600 on Reserve or Lux Estate Hybrid Stearns & Foster® mattresses. Save $400 on Lux Estate Stearns & Foster® mattresses. Save $200 on Estate ES4 and ES2 Stearns & Foster® mattresses. Certain offers may not be combined. Not valid on prior purchases. See store for availability and details. Copyright 2020 Sealy, Inc. All rights reserved.

SAVEUP TO save up to

500

PRESIDENTS DAY EVENT

$200

ON SELECT ADJUSTABLE MATTRESS SETS

on select mattresses

Sealy® Hybrid Silver Chill

Queen Mattress

$0000

SAVE $000

Sealy® Hybrid Gold Chill

Queen Mattress

$0000

RETAILER INFO

SAVE $000

RETAILER INFO

*Offer valid January 26–February 24, 2020, at participating retailers. Maximum savings of $200 requires purchase of a Sealy® Hybrid or Sealy® Conform Premium-level mattress. Save $100 on Sealy® Hybrid Performance or Trust II mattresses and Sealy® Conform Performance mattresses. Certain offers may not be combined. Not valid on prior purchases. See store for availability and details. Copyright 2020 Sealy, Inc. All rights reserved.

Best Mattress Store Best Customer Service Best Volunteer Best Philanthropist

*Offer valid January 26–February 24, 2020, while supplies last. Maximum savings of $500 requires purchase of a Queen-size TEMPUR-breeze° or TEMPUR-LuxeAdapt® mattress and a Queen-size TEMPUR-Ergo® Extend power base. Save $300 on any size TEMPUR-breeze° or TEMPUR-LuxeAdapt® mattress. Save $100 on any size TEMPUR-ProAdapt® or TEMPUR-Adapt® mattress. Save $200 on any size TEMPUR-Ergo® Extend or TEMPUR-Ergo® power base. Savings realized at time of purchase. Certain offers may not be combined. Excludes previous purchases. See store for availability and details. Copyright 2020 Tempur-Pedic North America, LLC. All rights reserved.

150 Commerce Ave, Southern Pines, NC 28387 910-246-2233 • www.sweetdreamsnc.com Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm • Sunday 11am-4pm 2901 S. Horner Blvd. • Sanford, NC 27332 • 919-292-6001 Monday-Friday 10am-7pm • Saturday 9am- 6pm • Sunday 11am-4pm

nickers K Knickers F

REMEMBER ON

A FYR O M T

O D A Y NT IO GN IHG H TT

Y RE O MU E MR BER VA YO L U REVA NLT EN IN TIN EE

F E B R UOA NR F EY BRU 1A 4R!Y 1 4 !

Visit us at ou Visit r nus e at w our sp new a cspace e opening just a opening c r o s just s t across he st the r estreet et o n F e b r u a ron y February 1 1 t h ! 11th!

L I N G E R I EL I N G E R I E S L E E P W E A S LR E E P W E A R L O U N G E W LEO A U NRG E W E A R M E N S

W E A M ERN S

B R A S B R E A S T

W E A R

B R A S

F O B RR E AMS TS F O R M S

www.knickers-lingerie.com www.knickers-lingerie.com 910-725-2346 910-725-2346 Open Tuesday -Open Friday Tuesday 11-5:00 - Friday 11-5:00 Saturday 11-4. Saturday 11-4. Sunday and Monday Sunday and closed. Monday closed. 150 E. New Hampshire 150 E. New Hampshire Avenue Avenue Southern Pines, Southern NC 28387 Pines, NC 28387

Come See the Fully Renovated Beautifully Renovated Exterior, Lobby, Bar, Facilities, & More Reserved Seating & Luxury Leather Electric Recliners in All Auditoriums Expanded Concession Menu (Pre-Order & Pickup with App!) • Beer & Wine $6 Movies – All Day, Every Tuesday Free Movies Fast With The Diamond Rewards Loyalty Program 104 BRUCEWOOD RD, SOUTHERN PINES

PARAGONTHEATERS.COM

FREE

SMALL POPCORN WITH ANY DRINK PURCHASE (OR UPGRADE TO A LARGE POPCORN FOR $1!)

85 oz size. Valid at Paragon Theaters Sandhills concession only. One coupon per person. Cannot be combined with other offers. VALID THROUGH 3/1/19 • CODE: PILOT0119

We have the new home you’re looking for. We’re your new construction experts at Coldwell Banker Advantage. We provide the most, highest quality new construction homes in the Sandhills.

www.HomesCBA.com

Meadow Ridge

Sinclair

Shepherd Trail

The Carolina

Juniper Ridge

Walker Station

Winston Pines

Bethesda Forest

Coldwell Banker Advantage (910) 693-3300 • 130 Turner Street, Southern Pines • 100 Magnolia Road, Pinehurst

PaulHarknessJewelry.com 910.695.HARK (4275)

PatriciaReilJewels.com 910.295.2824

110 West Pennsylvania Avenue â&#x20AC;¢ Southern Pines, NC

MEDICAL EXPERTISE

IT’S A NEW YEAR!

I T ’ S T I M E TO L E A P I N TO A N E W YO U WITH OUR FREE COOLSCULPTING EVENT FEBRUARY 29TH Special Leap Year deals and free gift will be provided to attendees Saturday, February 29th 11 am to 1 pm Call to reserve your spot (855) 294-2639

Plastic Surgery

SIMPLE LIFE

The Winter Gardener There’s plenty of life stirring beneath the season’s snows

By Jim Dodson

As you read this, the first winter of the new decade is drawing to a close.

Like a certain fabled snowman who danced with the village children until he began to melt away, I rather hate to see it go. Winter, you see, is my favorite gardening season. Perhaps this is because I am a son of winter, reportedly born during the height of a February snowstorm on Groundhog Day way back in 1953. Or maybe my wintry affection stems from two decades of living on a forested hill in Maine, where the snow piled up before Christmas and I learned most of what I know about resourceful living and “making do” — as they say in the North Country — including the art of keeping the home fires burning and loved ones warm. The light of winter is another of the season’s charms. Clear winter stars over our hilltop provided a dazzling show of celestial beauty, and the feel of the winter sun on your face on a cold, clear afternoon is like a benediction in Nature’s chapel. Whenever I’m having difficulty falling asleep, I remember cold clear nights when I donned my red wool Elmer Fudd coat and toted a 50-pound bag of sorghum pellets to the spot at the forest’s edge. There, a family of whitetail deer waited patiently for their supper in the arctic moonlight during the hardest nights of year — a memory of fellowship with mythic creatures that never fails to ease me into sleep on my own winter nights. It’s possible that my fondness for what poet Christina Rossetti called the “bleak midwinter” is simply written in the stars. Both my parents were Aquarians with midwinter birthdays just days before my own in early February. Ditto my firstborn child, a beautiful baby girl who appeared during a January blizzard that left the world quilted in white as the golden morning sun spread over Casco Bay, moments after young Maggie’s debut. When we carried her home to Bailey Island, our unplowed lane lay so

deep in snow we were forced to park at the village post office and slide down a steep hill to our back door just steps from the cobalt blue sea. The memory of my newly arrived Southern mother giddily whooping as she tobogganed down the hill on her bottom still makes me smile. Maggie made the trip all bundled into my arms — and claims to remember the journey to this day. Winter’s other gifts included our annual winter solstice party where friends and neighbors came out of the frigid night to sing and dance for their supper and — because I married into a clan of real Glaswegian Scots — a Hogmanay celebration on New Year’s Eve that included dancing to fiddle reels and toasting with good Islay-made Scotch with Big Ben dialed up on the shortwave radio at 7 p.m. — and sing in bed by nine. The drunks in Times Square could never compete with that. To some extent or another, of course, every one of these seasonable pleasures can be found in North Carolina winter as well, including cold nights, clear stars, holiday lights, good Scotch and fiddle reels and — despite global warming — the occasional surprise snowfall that stops a madding world in its tracks. But winter here has one significant advantage over life on a snowy hilltop in Maine. In the North Country, once the deep cold and snows arrived, I could only tend the fire, browse seed catalogs and picture the ambitious things I planned to do in my garden once the frozen ground thawed and was fully in view again — generally around Easter time, if we were lucky. Thanks to kinder and gentler Southern winters, however, I am able to get to work planning and digging even before Hogmanay arrives. With Nature at parade rest and stripped to bare essentials, I not only can see the architecture of my garden, but also take stock of last summer’s botanical successes and bonehead miscues. This year, for example, with the new decade just hours away, I spent five blessedly solitary hours getting gloriously dirty in my winter garden on New Year’s Eve. To briefly review my loves’ labors, I dug up and transplanted

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 2020

SIMPLE LIFE

seven rose bushes and nine ornamental grasses; moved a mophead hydrangea to a shadier spot and six Russian sages to a sunnier one. I also planted a splendid Leland cypress, raked up the last of the autumn leaves and spread a dozen wheelbarrows worth of new hardwood mulch. By the time I was finished — and the work finished me — the mistress of the estate required me to strip bare at the side door before entering her gleaming New Year’s kitchen, though she’ll flatly tell you that she never sees me happier than after a few well-spent hours digging in my winter garden, headed for a good soak in the tub or a hot shower. Dig in the soil, goes the old gardener’s ditty — delve in the soul. Even William Shakespeare seemed to find this time of year irresistible for contemplation of life’s passing seasons. That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou see’st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west; Which by and by black night doth take away, Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest. In me thou see’st the glowing of such fire, That on the ashes of his youth doth lie, As the death-bed, whereon it must expire, Consumed with that which it was nourish’d by. This thou perceiv’st, which makes thy love more strong, To love that well, which thou must leave ere long.

His theme, of course, is the brevity of life. As February dawns, such wintry thoughts come naturally to my mind as well, for I reach my mid-60s this year and am both amused and astonished how quickly the notion of “old age” has arrived. Save for a pair of dodgy knees that make gardening’s up and down a bit more challenging, I honestly don’t feel a day over 40 — yet I know I’m in the midwinter of my allotted visitation time, with scarce time to waste for being present in my own days, whatever the season. “Tho’ I am an old man,” as Founding Father Thomas Jefferson wrote to his friend Thomas Willson Peale in August of 1811, “I am but a young gardener.” Two and one-half decades ago, when I really was in my 40s, I spent the entire month of February by my own founding father’s bedside, serving as his caretaker as he slipped the bonds of Earth. What a fine and joyful life he’d led — my nickname for him was “Opti the Mystic” — and what a privilege it was to simply sit by his bed talking about this and that, weather and wives, golf and grandchildren, nothing left unsaid, saying thank-you as his life gently ebbed away. The end came a few days into March, after a night of sleet gave way to a stunning spring morning full of sunshine and birdsong. My oldest friend Patrick turned up, seemingly unbidden, suggesting we go play the old goat farm golf course where we learned to play as kids. I have no memory of how we scored or even what we talked about, though it was the perfect thing to do. Opti would surely have approved. That afternoon, I dug up some of my mom’s peonies to take home to my snowbound perennial beds in Maine. I planted them as the spring thaw finally arrived — sometime around Easter. PS Contact Editor Jim Dodson at jim@thepilot.com.

Lin gets Results! ENERGY. EXPERIENCE. EFFORT. 24

Lin Hutaff’s PineHurst reaLty GrouP Village of Pinehurst | 910.528.6427 | linhutaff@pinehurst.net

If Pinehurst has it, Lin can get it for you! Go to LinHutaff. com

405 BEULAH HILL RD • OLD TOWN Buy a piece of History! “Boxwood Cottage” 2.6 acres. No one has put more time, talent and treasure in restoring this beautiful structure as the current owners. 5BD, 5 ½ BA. Offered at $2,250,000.

190 MIDLAND RD • PINEHURST NO 2 “Blue Shutter Cottage”. Historic home on the famed No 2 Course, as comfortable after golf or riding as it is for a formal affair. Layered in French and Italian aesthetics including Venetian plastered walls and ceilings. Dream kitchen. Offered at $1,550,000.

14 GREYABBEY DR • PINEWILD STUNNING, golf front contemporary home with walls of glass from ceiling to floor. Amazing gourmet kitchen boasts Miele and Thermador appliances, plus Miele stainless Hood. Superb. 5BD, 4 1/2BA. Offered at $795,000.

91 SAKONNET TRAIL • PINEHURST NO 6 Spectacular property. Custom, all brick, with French doors and walls of glass showcasing cobalt blue, in-ground, salt water pool. Gourmet kitchen with Bertazzoni, dual fuel gas range. Fenced yard. 4BD, 4 ½ BA. Offered at $675,000.

49 GLASGOW DR • PINEWILD Sensational contemporary home like no other in the gated community of Pinewild Country Club. Gourmet kitchen opens to large family area overlooking patio, golf course. 3BD, 3 ½ BA. Offered at $665,000.

15 E MCCASKILL RD • OLD TOWN Walk to the Village! “Craven Long Leaf Cottage” was one of five bungalows built by the Sandhills Construction Co. during 1920 and 1921. Sellers have historically restored and modernized the cottage. 3BD, 2 ½ BA. Offered at $599,000.

16 APPIN COURT • PINEWILD Sensational, GOLF FRONT, Pinewild home tucked away on a quiet cul-de-sac. Stunning home with walls of windows. The handsome kitchen with access to deck overlooking longleaf pines, small stream and 11th hole of the Holly Course. 5BD, 3BA. Offered at $597,000.

235 HEARTHSTONE RD • FAIRWOODS ON 7 1st hole of Pinehurst No 7 Golf Course. Updated home with hardwood flooring, new kitchen etc. Focal point of home is the family room open to handsome kitchen and fabulous open porch. 3BD, 2BA. Offered at $575,000.

40 OAKMONT CIRCLE • PINEHURST Move-in ready! Popular Oakmont Circle. Seller has upgraded throughout including new kitchen, roof, whole-house generator and more. Approximately one mile to the Village. 3BD, 2 1/2BA, plus Bonus Rm. Offered at $325,000.

3 HOLLY KNOLL CT • PINEHURST Lake Pinehurst Area! Built by premier builder for personal residence with all the extras expected in builder’s own home. Gourmet kitchen, deep molding, Pella windows and heated workshop in garage. 3BD, 3 ½ BA. Dream Gourmet kitchen. Offered at $489,000.

2 GAMBEL CT LAKE • PINEHURST AREA 9 FOREST LANE - PINEHURST Better than new construction. Beautiful home on ONE OF THE PREMIER GOLF FRONT LOTS IN PINEHURST. cul-de-sec in the desirable Lake Pinehurst Area, soaring Exceptional property! Home sits on oversized lot surrounded by fairways on 3 sides. Views are magnifi- ceilings, gleaming hardwood floors, first floor Master Suite, FENCED YARD. 4BD, 2 ½ BA. cent! Floor to ceiling windows enhance natural light and Offered at $344,000. panoramic views. Deck across back of home. 3BD, 2BA. Offered at $369,000.

ENERGY. EXPERIENCE. EFFORT.

Lin Hutaff’s PineHurst reaLty GrouP Village of Pinehurst | 910.528.6427 | linhutaff@pinehurst.net

PinePitch

Expressão de Aplauso The Fine Arts Department at Sandhills Community College will present Quaternaglia, a Brazilian guitar quartet, on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m., at the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center, Owens Auditorium, Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Road, Southern Pines. Admission is free. For more information go to www.quarternaglia.com.

It’s for the Kids The Authors in Moore Schools is conducting its second annual fundraiser in its effort to continue to provide author visits and signed copies of books at no cost to elementary and middle school students in Moore County. The event is on Saturday, Feb. 1, from 3-5 p.m., at the Triangle Wine Company, 144 Brucewood Road, in Southern Pines. For tickets go to www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Tar Heel Traveler in Town The Sandhills Woman’s Exchange in conjunction with the Given Book Shop will host WRAL’s Scott Mason, the “Tar Heel Traveler,” who will talk about his new book on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 5:30 p.m. at the Sandhills Woman’s Exchange, 15 Azalea Road, Pinehurst. The cost is $25. For more information call (910) 295-4677 or visit www.sandhillswe.org.

Ruth Pauley Lecture Series Mark Anderson, the director of the conservation science team with the Nature Conservancy, will present “Conserving the Southeast’s Amazing Natural Resources in an Era of Climate Change,” on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m., at the Bradshaw Performing Arts Center, Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Road, Southern Pines. For more information visit www.ruthpauley.org.

Get Your Steps in the Easy Way Sample your way through the village of Pinehurst tasting candies, cakes and all things chocolate while sipping fine wines during the Chocolate and Wine Walk on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8 p.m. Check in at Olde Town Realty. Tickets are $35 per person. For additional information call (910) 687-0377 or visit www.InsiderPinehurst.com.

Leave It to Beaver Stalk North Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest rodent on a beaver habitat hike. on Sunday, Feb. 9, at 3 p.m., at Weymouth Woods. The 1.5-mile hike takes you off the beaten path to get up close to an active beaver dam. They are busy, no? Free and open to the public, at the Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. For more information go to www. ncparks.gov or call (910) 692-2167

Author! Author! On Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 5 p.m., The Country Bookshop will host Etaf Rum, author of the widely praised debut novel A Woman is No Man. Rum is a Palestinian-American who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and is a graduate of North Carolina State University. The event will be at The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. For more information visit www.thecountrybookshop.biz.

Live on Stage Professional actors and community thespians will perform the play Almost, Maine on Feb. 8, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m.. and Feb. 9 and 16 at 2 p.m., at the Encore Center, 160 E. New Hampshire Ave., Southern Pines. For additional information call (910) 725-0603 or go to www.encorecenter.net. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 2020

Young Musicians Festival Heart ‘N Soul of Jazz The Grammy nominated jazz vocalist Jazzmeia Horn highlights the Heart ‘N Soul of Jazz 2020 in the Cardinal Ballroom of the Carolina Hotel, 80 Carolina Vista Drive, at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15. Tickets are $75 VIP reserved and $65 general reserved. Proceeds benefit the Arts Council of Moore County. For information go to www.mooreart.org. Tickets are available at www. ticketmesandhills.

The finalist concert of the Young Musicians Festival will be Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m., at the Weymouth Center for Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. For information call (910) 692-6261 or go to www. weymouthcenter.org.

A Touch of New Orleans Celebrate Mardi Gras and raise money for the Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives at the same time in the annual Holly and Ivy Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25, at the Holly Inn, 155 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Tickets are $125 and all proceeds benefit the library and archives. Tickets are available at www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Behind the Words and Music Four singer-songwriters gather in Nashville’s “in the round” style to discuss the inspiration for their music in a show hosted by Momma Molasses on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Sunrise Theater, 244 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Tickets are $20 VIP or $15 reserved. For information go to www.sunrisetheater.com or call (910) 692-3611.

Recreating the Journey Storyteller Mitch Capel brings to life the journey of African-Americans through plantation life, the Civil War and the struggle for basic human rights on Sunday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m. at the Sunrise Theater, 244 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Tickets are $10 or $15 for VIP. For more information call (910) 692-3611 or go to www.sunrisetheater.com.

The Rooster’s Wife Saturday, Feb. 1: The Kruger Brothers. Since their formal introduction to American audiences in 1997, The Kruger Brothers’ remarkable discipline, creativity and ability to infuse classical music into folk music has resulted in a unique sound that has made them a fixture in the world of acoustic music. Shows at 12:46 p.m. and 6:46 p.m. Cost: $35. Sunday, Feb. 9: Hiroya Tsukamoto, Walter Parks. Tsukamoto is a one-of-akind composer, guitarist and singer-songwriter from Kyoto, Japan. Expect fluid mastery, pristine tone, and great warmth. Parks is an extraordinary singer whose songs can break your heart while they get you dancing. Cost: $20. Thursday, Feb. 13: Open Mic. Friday, Feb. 14: Valentine’s Dance with the Shakedown. Nothing beats the thrill of live music. Bring your sweetheart, or find your new one on the dance floor. Or just dance, dance, dance! Cost: $15. Sunday, Feb. 16: Gessner and Murphy. The love light keeps shining with your favorite songs and your favorite people, Lisa Gessner and Paul Murphy, bringing standards and more of your heart’s desire. Cost: $15. Thursday, Feb. 20: Barnes, Gordy and Walsh. In the world of bluegrass and folk, where the collaborative possibilities are endless, what draws some musicians together is hard to pinpoint. For Joe K. Walsh, Grant Gordy, and Danny Barnes, a newly formed bi-coastal trio, curiosity is the rule, and the tunes are just a starting point. Cost: $20. Sunday, Feb. 23: Kamara Thomas. Her bewitching live performance incorporates elements of Native American shamanism, trance-inducing jams, and spellbinding stories of the fabled Old West. Cost: $15. Saturday, Feb. 29: Seth Walker. A soulful singer, a skilled songwriter, and a guitarist with a sharp, clear tone brings his trio to celebrate leap year. Cost: $20. Unless otherwise noted, doors open at 6 p.m. and music begins at 6:46 at the Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Prices above are for members. Annual memberships are $5 and available online or at the door. For more information call (910) 944-7502 or visit www. theroosterswife.org or ticketmesandhills.com.

VALENTINE WEEKEND FOR COASTAL LOVEBIRDS

Birds of a Feather Join us February 14-16 Celebrate at our beautiful coast with a cozy room, waterfront view, creative cuisine & wine, and a sunset cruise. This gift for your favorite “fine feathered friend” is really something to chirp about!

blockade-runner.com 844-891-9707 Photo courtesy of Wilmington resident Jeffrey P. Karnes, named by audubon.org as one of 15 awesome Instagram accounts for beautiful bird photos

Attention Dogs of Moore County! Need a bigger back yard? Is a fenced-in area on your wish list? Looking for real estate closer to a dog park? Are you hunting for the perfect tree lined property? (Squirrel Patrol!) Or are you just looking to bury a bone in the Pinehurst area? As the C.E.O. (Canine Executive Officer) of MLV Properties, I share your four-legged perspective. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Have your people call my people.â&#x20AC;?

House & Home Services and Property Management, Inc. 5 Dowd Circle Suite D Pinehurst, NC 28374

JJ Vecchione C.E.O. (Canine Executive Officer) 30

Mary Lou Vecchione, Broker/Owner 910-639-1387 NC Real Estate Lic. #177830 marylou@houseandhomeservices.com

www.houseandhomeservices.com

February 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

INSTAGRAM WINNERS

Congratulations to our February Instagram winners!

Theme:

Love & Gratitude #pinestrawcontest

Next month’s theme:

“Something Green” To submit your photo on Instagram you need to post a photo, tag us @pinestrawmag and in the caption field add the hashtag #pinestrawcontest (Submissions needed by Tuesday, February 18th) PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 2020

Our Communities

Feel Different Because They Are Nationally Accredited Life Plan Communities

• Pine Knoll and Belle Meade Independent Living

• The Coventry Assisted Living

• The Health Center and Therapy Village Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation

• Home Care

We invite you to tour Pine Knoll and Belle Meade and enjoy a complimentary lunch or overnight stay! To schedule your visit call 910-246-1023 today.

www.sjp.org

G O O D NAT U R E D

THE 2020

Holly & Ivy Dinner

Turning a New Leaf

Boosting your health with olive leaf extract By K aren Frye

The Bible mentions the olive tree

and olive leaf many times. Ezekiel tells us “olive fruit is food and its leaves are medicine.” We know that using olive oil has many heart-healthy benefits, but perhaps you’ve not heard about the power of the olive leaves. Thousands of years ago, the leaves were used medicinally to treat many health issues, including colds and fevers, even malaria.

From modern studies of olive leaf, we have a vast amount of information regarding its powerful properties. Olive leaf helps reduce cholesterol and keeps the arteries and veins flexible. It has demonstrated impressive results in lowering high blood pressure, and reducing blood sugar and inflammation. It’s a wonderful immune system booster, is great at killing germs, viruses and bacteria, and is a warrior inside the body, seeking out these invading toxins and destroying them. It’s also good for neurological problems, joint and connective tissue/bone health. If you happen to be concerned about the effects of ever-present electromagnetic fields, olive leaf — the richest source of oleuropein — can help with that, too. There are many sources for olive leaf extract. Barleans makes the best on the market, with the full spectrum of polyphenals, and a total antioxidant capacity beyond others. Barleans olive leaf had more total ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) than many superfoods, as well as high amounts of vitamins C and E. There are many herbs and foods with healing benefits and immune building properties, but few have the reputation of the olive leaf. I’m constantly amazed by the plants that we’ve discovered to be beneficial for healing and the prevention of the many maladies we confront throughout life. Our health is so precious, and the plant kingdom, with all its diversity, can assist us on our journey to have the healthiest, happiest lives we can imagine. This February, you can make your heart — and practically every other system in your body — healthier simply by turning a new leaf. PS

Mardi Gras Celebrating

at The Holly Inn Tuesday, February 25, 2020 Cocktails at 6:30pm Dinner at 7:30pm $125 Per Person

Tickets available at www.giventufts.org

A Special Benefit for the Given Memorial Library & Tufts Archives

MARDI GRAS attire is encouraged, but optional For more information

call 910-295-3642

Karen Frye is the owner and founder of Nature’s Own and teaches yoga at the Bikram Yoga Studio. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 2020

The Carolina Philharmonic presents

Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 7:30pm Owens Auditorium, BPAC, Sandhills Community College Maestro David Michael Wolff in a multimedia piano recital celebrating the links between great works of art and music, with a glimpse behind the scenes into the lives of the creators. Black and white keys in full color.

Tickets starting at $30

Arts Council of Moore County Campbell House, S. Pines

with discounts for active military and students (910) 687.0287•www.carolinaphil.org The Carolina Philharmonic is a 501(c)3 non-profit

The Carolina Philharmonic’s 5th Annual Charity

GOLF TOURNAMENT SPONSORED BY PINEHURST RESORT AND COUNTRY CLUB

to benefit The Carolina Philharmonic’s music education programs for the children of Moore County

Nature’s Own 95 Bell Avenue, S. Pines Given Tufts Bookshop Pinehurst Box Office 5 Market Square in Pinehurst Village

Monday, March 16, 2020

Pinehurst No. 8

$175

PER PLAYER

$640

FOURSOME

Includes: Continental Breakfast, Buffet Lunch and Prizes

For details call 910.687.0287

2020

THE OMNIVOROUS READER

Crime and Punishment Doing justice to a pair of new legal thrillers

By D.G. Martin

Two popular authors of legal thrillers have

close connections to North Carolina. We would like to claim them for our state, but both live in Virginia.

John Grisham’s latest book, The Guardians, has spent recent weeks on or near the top of The New York Times best-seller list. Although he lives near Charlottesville, he regularly visits his daughter’s family in Raleigh and enjoys his second home in Chapel Hill, where his wife, Renee, is active in support of the UNC Press and the performing arts efforts. Martin Clark, author of his fifth novel, The Substitution Order, though not as well known as Grisham, has legions of fans. He has been called “the thinking man’s John Grisham.” Clark lives on a farm near Stuart, Virginia, just a few miles above the North Carolina line and not far from the Winston-Salem hospital where he was born. Both new books feature hardworking, smart lawyers confronting sophisticated corruption schemes in the justice system. Grisham’s story features innocent people who have been convicted and sentenced to lengthy years of confinement. Coincidently, newspapers and movie theaters have been full of real life stories of long-serving prisoners who have been found to be innocent. “After 36 Years in Prison, 3 Men Cleared in Killing,” a headline in The New York Times proclaimed recently. Stories like it have become more and more common as efforts to establish the innocence of people convicted of murder expand throughout the country, including North Carolina. Last year Charles Ray Finch, 81, was freed after being wrongfully convicted 43 years ago of a murder in Wilson County. His release came after a 17-year effort by students in the Duke Law Innocence Project. Why does it take such a long time to undo a wrongful conviction? Grisham gives an answer in The Guardians. His hero is Cullen Post, a lawyer and Episcopal priest who works for Guardian Ministries in Savannah, Georgia. Post lives in a small apartment above the ministries’ office, but spends most of his

time on the road, visiting prisoners all over the Southeast. Post interviews prospective clients in their prison cells. Most of the time he concludes they are guilty. But for those who have persuaded him of their innocence, he gives his all. He even sits with them as they await execution, sharing their last meal. With others, he tries to unearth facts and connections that might bolster their innocence claims. Back at the office, he helps draft legal documents to persuade courts to open the door for a review of their clients’ convictions. Even after all this hard work the Guardian Ministries has only gained the release of eight innocent prisoners. Grisham paints the portraits of several imprisoned clients who are almost certainly innocent but focuses on an African-American former truck driver, Quincy Miller. Twenty-two years earlier Miller had been convicted of murdering Keith Russo, a small town white lawyer who had done a lousy job representing Miller in an acrimonious divorce. The evidence against Miller was thin and contrived, but the local sheriff was determined to pin the murder on him. Why was the sheriff so motivated? Post’s probing is, at first, inconclusive. Then, as he learns that drug dealing might be involved and that the murdered Keith Russo was involved in the illicit trade, things get scary. Post meets Miller’s original defense lawyer and learns that a drug cartel had subjected him to torture and terror so frightening that he would not speak of Miller’s case in public. When Miller is attacked and almost killed by prisoners on the drug cartel’s payroll and strange men begin to follow Post, Grisham injects his patented skillful storytelling to weave a disturbing tale. While Post makes it clear that his job is to prove that his clients, in this case Miller, are innocent, and not necessarily to find the actual murderers, after all Grisham reveals about the horror of the drug cartels and the local officials involved in Keith Russo’s murder, it disappointed this reader not to have the real trigger man and his handlers brought to justice. Maybe Grisham is just leaving the door open for a sequel. If so, I will be in line to buy the first copy. Meanwhile, there is time to enjoy Clark’s The Substitution Order, which has gained widespread praise. New York Times reviewer Alafair Burke wrote, “In a good legal thriller, the law itself propels the narrative as intensely as any

Talk to a doctor anytime, anywhere you happen to be

A network of doctors that can treat every member of the family

Prompt treatment, median call back in 15 minutes

Receive quality care via phone, video or mobile app

Prescriptions sent to pharmacy of choice if medically necessary

Less expensive than the ER or urgent care

THE OMNIVOROUS READER

single character. By that definition, Martin Clark’s ‘The Substitution Order’ is not merely a good legal thriller; it’s a great one.” It opens with its main character and narrator speaking, “For years, I was an excellent lawyer, as honest and effective as you could ever want, and I’m a decent enough person, and despite my mistakes, which — I concede — were hellacious, I deserve better than this misery.” These words introduce us to the plight of Kevin Moore. When a lawyer’s life collapses, it can fall hard, and the devastation can be horrendous. But hard times can make for a good story, and Moore’s sad situation becomes the basis for Clark’s enticing book. Moore was an admired and successful lawyer in Roanoke, Virginia. He was deeply devoted to his wife, but then briefly fell into a short fling of infidelity, drug use and association with drug dealers. The results: disbarment and probation. His wife gives up and leaves him. Hoping to regain respectability and return to a good life, Moore takes a job working in a cheap deli. His circumstances make him the target of sophisticated crooks. A stranger who calls himself Caleb visits the deli and proposes that Moore cooperate in a multi-million-dollar scam to con his malpractice insurer out of millions of dollars. As a part of the scam, Moore would admit that he failed to follow up on a client’s option to purchase a parcel of mountain land for a little less than a million dollars. She lost the property, which later sold for $6 million. If Moore plays along, his lawyers’ malpractice insurer will pay $5 million to his former client, who is part of the scam. When Moore turns Caleb and his colleagues down, they use a corrupt law enforcement official to get a fake positive drug test and plant drugs and a pistol in his car. The resulting probation violation and new charges could put him in jail for a long time. His Job-like experience continues when he suffers a stroke just as his soon-to-be ex-wife takes him off her health insurance coverage. His slow turnaround begins when he calls Dan Duggan, his Davidson College classmate and law school roommate at the University of Virginia, for help. Duggan guides him through the health insurance morass and then, at the end of the book, plays a key role in Moore’s counter-scam to punish Caleb’s colleagues and deny them the fruits of their evil deeds. Martin Clark, the author of this compelling story, recently retired as a Virginia circuit court judge, giving him, we can hope, time to write more “thinking man’s” thrillers. PS D.G. Martin hosts North Carolina Bookwatch Sunday at 11 a.m. and Tuesday at 5 p.m. on UNC-TV. The program also airs on the North Carolina Channel Tuesday at 8 p.m. To view prior programs go to http://video.unctv. org/show/nc-bookwatch/episodes/.

Explore a world of exquisite textiles, trims & wallpapers. Specializing in custom draperies, pillows, bedding & more.

MILL END THE

Est. 1936

STORE

DREAM

Carefree outdoor living allows the spirit to soar.

DESIGN

Good bones & great lines deserve restoration.

LOVE

The home should be the treasure chest of living.

LISTEN

Paint is one note, wallpaper a melody.

FABRIC for LIFE Come & enjoy our creative hospitality Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 2706 Bragg Blvd.

910-483-2375

themillendstore.org

Our Life Plan Community (Continuing Care Retirement Community) has served older adults since 1964, providing Independent Living, In-Home Care, Residential Assisted Living & Skilled Nursing Services. Penick Village has an uncompromising commitment to deinstitutionalize the age experience.

At Penick Village we are a family of friendly, interesting, and fun people creating a loving community by makingeach day greatfor one another. Join Us.

BOOKSHELF

February Books FICTION

A Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende

In the late 1930s, civil war has gripped Spain. When Gen. Francisco Franco and his Fascists succeed in overthrowing the government, hundreds of thousands are forced to flee in a treacherous journey over the mountains to the French border. Among them is Roser, a pregnant young widow, who finds her life irreversibly intertwined with that of Victor Dalmau, an Army doctor and the brother of her deceased love. As the two refugees flee to France, eventually landing in Chile, where they build a life together, they find no place is immune from political strife. A story about making a home wherever you are.

Apeirogon, by Colum McCann

Named for a polygon with an infinite number of sides, Bassam Aramin (Palestinian) and Rami Elhanan (Israeli) inhabit a world of conflict that colors every aspect of their daily lives, from the roads they are allowed to drive on to the schools their daughters, Abir and Smadar, each attend, to the checkpoints both physical and emotional that they must negotiate. Their worlds shift irreparably after 10-year-old Abir is killed by a rubber bullet, and 13-year-old Smadar becomes the victim of suicide bombers. When Bassam and Rami learn of one another’s stories, they recognize the loss that connects them, and they attempt to use their grief as a weapon for peace.

The Cactus League, by Emily Nemens

Jason Goodyear is the star outfielder for the Los Angeles Lions, stationed with the rest of his team in the punishingly hot Arizona desert for their annual spring training. Handsome, famous and talented, Goodyear is nonetheless coming apart at the seams. Everyone is eager to find out why, even as they hide secrets of their own. Narrated by a sportscaster, Goodyear’s story is interspersed with tales of Michael Taylor, a batting coach trying to stay relevant; Tamara Rowland, a resourceful spring training paramour, looking for one last catch; Herb Allison, a legendary sports agent grappling with his decline; and a plethora of other richly drawn characters, all striving to be seen as the season approaches. A tight debut novel by the editor of Paris Review.

Amnesty, by Aravind Adiga

Danny, formerly Dhananjaya Rajaratnam, is an illegal immigrant in Sydney, Australia, denied refugee status after he fled Sri Lanka. Working as a cleaner, living out of a grocery storeroom, for three years he’s been trying to create a new identity for himself. With his beloved girlfriend, Sonja, his hidden accent and highlights in his hair, he is as close as he has ever come to living a normal life. But then one morning, Danny learns a female client of his has been murdered. The deed was done with a knife, at a creek he’d been to with her before; and a jacket was left at the scene, which he believes belongs

to another of his clients — a doctor Danny knows the woman was having an affair with. He’s confronted with a choice: come forward with his knowledge about the crime and risk being deported; or say nothing, and let justice go undone. Evaluating the weight of his past, his dreams for the future, and the unpredictable, often absurd reality of living invisibly and undocumented, he must wrestle with his conscience and decide if a person without rights still has responsibilities.

Salt River, by Randy Wayne White

A local author returns with a thrilling tale of marine biologist and former government agent Doc Ford and his friend, avowed bachelor and beach-bum pal Tomlinson, who is confronted by rash past decisions that escalate to deadly present-day dangers. As a young man, Tomlinson fathered multiple children via for-profit sperm bank donations, and his now-grown offspring have tracked him down, seeking answers about their roots. Doc quickly grows suspicious that one of them might be planning something more nefarious than a family reunion. In addition to watching Tomlinson’s back, Doc encounters a number of unsavory individuals, including a disgraced IRS investigator and a corrupt Bahamian customs agent, after their cut of a cache of precious Spanish coins he quietly “liberated” from a felonious treasure hunter. Doc has no choice but to get creative. NONFICTION

Race Against Time: A Reporter Reopens the Unsolved Murder Cases of the Civil Rights Era, by Jerry Mitchell

Mitchell takes readers on the twisting, pulse-racing road that led to the reopening of the investigations into four of the most infamous killings from the days of the civil rights movement. As an investigative journalist with a mission, his work played a central role in bringing killers to justice for the assassination of Medgar Evers, the firebombing of Vernon Dahmer, the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham, and the Mississippi Burning case. Mitchell reveals how he unearthed secret documents, found long-lost suspects and witnesses, and built evidence strong enough to take on the Klan. He takes us into every harrowing scene along the way, meeting one-on-one with the very murderers he is seeking to catch. His efforts put four leading Klansmen behind bars, years after they thought they had gotten away with murder. Race Against Time is an astonishing, courageous story as the past is uncovered, clue-by-clue, and long-ignored evils are brought into the light.

The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family and Defiance During the Blitz, by Erik Larson

Larson shows, in cinematic detail, how Churchill taught the British people “the art of being fearless.” It is a story of political brinkmanship, but also an intimate domestic drama, set against the backdrop of Churchill’s prime-ministerial country home, Chequers; his wartime retreat, Ditchley; and, of course, 10 Downing Street in London. Drawing on diaries, original archival documents and once-secret intelligence reports — some released

BOOKSHELF

S tart

the N ew D ecaDe with c oNfiDeNce

By Investing Time in You

only recently — Larson provides a new lens on London’s darkest year through the day-to-day experiences of Churchill and his wife, Clementine, their youngest daughter, Mary (who chafes against her parents’ wartime protectiveness), and their son, Randolph, with his beautiful, unhappy wife, Pamela, and her lover, a dashing American emissary. All comprised Churchill’s “Secret Circle,” to whom he turned in the hardest moments.

Author in Chief: The Untold Story of Our Presidents and the Books They Wrote, by

Craig Fehrman Fehrman opens a rich new window into presidential biography. From volumes lost to history like Calvin Coolidge’s Autobiography, which was one of the most widely discussed titles of 1929, to ones we know and love like Barack Obama’s Dreams From My Father (very nearly never published), and gems like Abraham Lincoln’s collection of speeches, titled Political Debates between Hon. Abraham Lincoln and Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, Fehrman delivers countless insights about the presidents through their literary works.

The Hope of Glory: Reflections on the Last Words of Jesus from the Cross, by Jon Meacham

Michael D. Ritter

Senior Vice President - Investment PIM Portfolio Manager

Lauren Corum Client Associate

Steven J. Menendez

Senior Vice President - Investment PIM Portfolio Manager

Jarrod R. Gouty Financial Advisor

To feel confident in your investment planning, you deserve a personal, tailored plan and a meaningful and open relationship with your investment advisors. Since 1991, Menendez & Ritter Retirement Group has made these goals the foundation of our practice. We are here to give you advice and guidance on how to plan to achieve your financial goals. Backed by the sophisticated resources of one of the nations most recognized financial service companies, we will develop personalized strategies that are designed to let you plan your future with confidence.

110 Turnberry Way | Pinehurst, NC 28374 | 910.693.2430 www.fa.wellsfargoadvisors.com/mrrg | Jarrod.Gouty@wellsfargoadvisors.com Investment and Insurance Products: • NOT FDIC Insured NO Bank Guarantee MAY Lose Value Wells Fargo Advisors is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC, Member SIPC, a registered broker/dealer and nonbank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. © 2018 Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. All rights reserved. CAR-0120-03061

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author explores the seven last sayings of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels, combining rich historical and theological insights. For each saying, Meacham composes a meditation on the origins of Christianity and how Jesus’ final words created a foundation for oral and written traditions that upended the very order of the world. In a tone more intimate than many of his previous awardwinning works, Jon Meacham returns us to the moment that transformed Jesus from a historical figure into the proclaimed Son of God.

Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe, by

Brian Greene From the worldrenowned physicist and bestselling author of The Elegant Universe comes this captivating exploration of deep time and humanity’s search for purpose. Through a series of nested stories that explain distinct but interwoven layers of reality — from quantum mechanics to consciousness to black holes — Greene provides us with a clearer sense of how we came

BOOKSHELF

to be, a finer picture of where we are now, and a firmer understanding of where we are headed. With this grand tour of the universe, Greene allows us all to grasp and appreciate our fleeting but utterly exquisite moment in the cosmos.

Let’s Be Real

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Lola Dutch, I Love You So Much, by Kenneth

and Sarah Jane Wright Lola, Gator, Crane and Pig are back, and we love them so much! In this fun follow-up to Lola Dutch When I Grow Up, Lola finds ways to show her friends just how special they all are. Perfect for fans of Ladybug Girl or Pinkalicious. Young listeners can never have too much Lola Dutch. (Ages 3-6.) In a Jar, by Deborah Marcero Together, in jars big and small, Llewellyen and Evelyn collected buttercups, feathers and heart-shaped stones. They collected rainbows, the sound of the ocean and the wind just before snow falls. And when a move separates the collectors, they share friendship in a jar across the miles. (Ages 3-6.) Just Like Mama, by Alice Faye Duncan Mama Rose makes sure Olivia learns to ride a bike, has her hair braided just so, and that she plays outside every day. Mama Rose tells Olivia one day she will grow her own wings and fly, just like Mama. And Mama Rose tells Olivia she is loved. Just Like Mama is the perfect way to honor everyone who fills the gap when Mama cannot always be there. (Ages 3-6.)

Ashlords, by Scott Reintgen

Ashlords, Davidians, Longhands — three clashing cultures whose names will soon be household names after Reintgen’s brilliant new novel, Ashlords, sets the YA world on fire in January 2020. With Phoenix horse races, powerful young adversaries and a world teetering on the brink of war, fans of Marie Lu’s Legend series or and Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games will devour Ashlords. (Ages 12 and up.) PS Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Angie Tally

Framer’s Cottage

162 NW Broad Street • Downtown Southern Pines • 910.246.2002

Upcoming

AUTHOR EVENTS New York Times best selling authors are coming to Southern Pines! Stop by The Country Bookshop to see and talk to them about their latest books.

February 11th at 5pm

JAY BARNES North Carolina’s Hurricane History North Carolina’s Hurricane History charts the more than fifty great storms that have battered the Tar Heel State from the colonial era through Irene in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012, two of the costliest hurricanes on record. Drawing on news reports, National Weather Service records, and eyewitness descriptions, hurricane historian Jay Barnes emphasizes the importance of learning from this extraordinary history as North Carolina prepares for the inevitable disastrous storms to come. Featuring more than 200 photographs, maps, and illustrations, this book offers amazing stories of destruction and survival. While some are humorous and some tragic, all offer a unique perspective on the state’s unending vulnerability to these storms.

February 12th at 5pm ETAF RUM A Woman is No Man

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In her debut novel Etaf Rum tells the story of three generations of Palestinian-American women struggling to express their individual desires within the confines of their Arab culture in the wake of shocking intimate violence in their community--a story of culture and honor, secrets and betrayals, love and violence. Set in an America at once foreign to many and staggeringly close at hand, A Woman Is No Man is an intimate glimpse into a controlling and closed cultural world, and a universal tale about family and the ways silence and shame can destroy those we have sworn to protect.

February 19th at 5pm

CLIFF GARSTANG The Shaman of Turtle Valley The Alexanders have farmed the land in Turtle Valley for generations, and their family and its history is tied to this mountainous region of Virginia in ways few others can claim. When Gulf War veteran Aiken Alexander brings home a young and pregnant South Korean bride, he hopes at long last to claim his own place in that complicated history—coming out from behind the shadow of his tragically killed older brother and taking up a new place in his father’s affections. However, things do not go according to plan. While he loves his young son, his wife, Soon-hee, can’t—or won’t—adjust to life in America. Her behavior growing stranger and stranger to Aiken’s eyes every day until the marriage reaches a breaking point.

February 27th at 5:30pm JOSHUA HOOD

Robert Ludlum’s The Treadstone Resurrection Treadstone made Jason Bourne an unstoppable force, but he’s not the only one. Operation Treadstone has nearly ruined Adam Hayes. The top-secret CIA Black Ops program trained him to be an all but invincible assassin, but it also cost him his family and any chance at a normal life. Which is why he was determined to get out. Working as a carpenter in rural Washington state, Adam thinks he has left Treadstone in the past, until he receives a mysterious email from a former colleague, and soon after is attacked by an unknown hit team at his job site.

February 18th at 12pm MARY KUBICA The Other Mrs

Mary Kubica is becoming a household name when it comes to domestic thrillers. Her previous books, The Good Girl, Pretty Baby, Don’t You Cry, Every Last Lie, and When the Lights Go Out all kept us on the edge of our seat. Don’t get too comfortable, she keeps the thrills coming in February with her newest novel, The Other Mrs. Sadie and Will Foust have only just moved their family from bustling Chicago to small-town Maine when their neighbor Morgan Baines is found dead in her home. The murder rocks their tiny coastal island, but no one is more shaken than Sadie.

The Country Bookshop 140 NW Broad St, • Southern Pines, NC • 910.692.3211 www.thecountrybookshop.biz • thecountrybookshop

HOMETOWN

Untold Stories A simple man’s jump into history

By Bill Fields

To my memory, still keen though he

PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY BILL FIELDS

has been gone 40 years, Dad wasn’t big on sit-down discussions of serious matters. If, in the early 1970s, we had been wearing Fitbits instead of Timexes, they would have shown considerable steps taken during our “Facts of Life” conversation as we paced around the house one afternoon, each doing his best to speak of anything but the birds and the bees.

We got through that talk, fragmented though it might have been, despite our mutual reluctance. That was not the case when it came to my father’s military service, memories of which were as off limits to me as the bottle of Canadian Club stashed in the far reaches of a kitchen cabinet. The hard stuff of war had come years earlier as my father, a corporal in the 161st Parachute Engineer Company, fought in the Pacific theater in 1944-45. Like so many others, William E. Fields had been plucked from an ordinary life — in his case, a long-haul truck driver transporting produce from his hometown of Jackson Springs to locales along the Eastern Seaboard — to do extraordinary things in the Allied war effort. In 2020, the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, plenty of stories will be told about men and women who never wanted to talk about themselves or what they went through. Dad was inducted Oct. 15, 1942, in Fort Bragg. By the spring of ’44, he had his wings, a wife and a will. My parents’ first child was due that November, by which time Dad was about 9,000 miles from home. An assistant unit foreman, second in command of a squad of parachute engineers, my father directed combat and demolitions work, and helped erect barriers and traps against the enemy. His unit of airborne engineers was attached to the 503rd Parachute

Regimental Combat Team. After fighting in the New Guinea and Luzon campaigns, Corregidor was next as the United States sought to reclaim the rocky island in Manila Bay overtaken by Japanese forces in 1942. “The airborne landing was one of the most — if not the most — daring, unusual and successful in the history of airborne operations,” authors James and William Belote wrote in Corregidor: Saga of a Fortress, of the Feb. 16, 1945 operation involving 2,065 paratroopers descending from C-47s only 400 feet above a tiny landing zone on a windy morning. The first time I watched a Pathé newsreel film of the jump, the jeopardy of the troops became very real. I’ve wondered if my mother, in North Carolina with her infant daughter, Dianne, read this Associated Press account published Feb. 18 in the Charlotte Observer and papers across the country: “Plane after plane dropped 10-man teams, some beyond the cliffs, some in rocky ravines but the majority on the ‘topside’ where they were to the rear of enemy guns pointing out to the China Sea. The ’chutists carried full equipment.” Dad wasn’t in the majority and became one of hundreds of casualties when he landed on uneven terrain, shattering his right ankle. After a long recuperation, he would recover to walk without a limp but was plagued the rest of his life by tropical ulcer or “jungle rot” on the joint and varicose veins in his right calf. As I found out just recently from an older cousin to whom Dad once confided a decade after the war, getting badly hurt was only part of his Corregidor story. Wounded and alone after being blown off course, he had to hide in a crater covered by his parachute to avoid being seen by Japanese troops before eventually being rescued and evacuated by comrades. It would be two months before he returned to the United States, and September until he was discharged from a convalescent hospital in Virginia with $144.14 and a Purple Heart that cost much more than that. On Feb. 16, I will be thinking a lot about an ordinary man and the stories he wouldn’t share. PS Southern Pines native Bill Fields, who writes about golf and other things, moved north in 1986 but hasn’t lost his accent.

IN THE SPIRIT

Rum Discovery Straight up sugar cane

By Tony Cross

In the spring of 2018, I was able

to get into the five-year anniversary party at the mezcal bar Gallo Pelon in Raleigh. It was a fun night shared with close friends at one of my favorite bars. What made the evening even more special was my introduction to Oaxacan Agricole rum.

PHOTOGRAPH BY TONY CROSS

Near the end of every year, I place my order online for different spirits that aren’t available through our state’s ABC system (which would be many). It’s basically my Christmas present to myself. Copious amounts. It never dawned on me to search for rums from the Oaxacan region until that night. So I did, and grabbed a bottle from Haiti while I was at it. I drank both bottles bone-dry, and couldn’t remember my name or how to do times-tables for three days. I’m lying. I was the first kid in my thirdgrade class to remember their multiplication tables; that will never fade from my memory.

Paranubes Oaxacan Agricole Rum “Made in the northern highlands of Oaxaca, where a sparsely inhabited sub-tropical climate produces some of the best sugar cane on Earth. Third-generation distiller Jose Luis Carrera works with several local varieties of cane grown organically and minimally processed during distillation, using only the fresh, lightly pressed cane juice.” That’s the first thing I read about Paranubes rum. The next thing I noticed is the whopping 54 percent alcohol by volume. Yeah, I had to give this one a go. When it arrived (along with the other types of spirits I purchased), it was the first bottle I opened. On the nose, I could definitely smell sugar cane as soon as I popped the cork. But once in the glass, there was a peppery smell to it that I couldn’t quite nail down. The next day, my buddy Carter gave it a go, and before his first sip, he said, “Hmm . . . smells like ketchup.” That’s it! I should’ve gotten that; I eat ketchup on almost everything. We both agreed it was a beautiful rum, from the nose, to the back of the palate. Just straight-up sugar cane. No additives. I read on their website that Jose Luis Carrera is able to produce 85 liters a day — the bottle is one liter. He could distill more for a faster production time, but doesn’t want to compromise the balance of his rum. Talk about quality. The first drink I made with this was the classic Ti’ Punch: just a touch of organic cane sugar, lime, and Paranubes rum made my holiday week a little less stressful. I’ll give a recipe below.

Clairin Sajous Haitian Rhum Agricole What struck my curiosity with this bottle were two things: One, it’s only been on the market for a couple of years; and two, I’ve never tasted clairin before. It was introduced to me as an eau de vie, similar to white Agricole rhums. So, what exactly is clairin? In a nutshell, it’s a distilled spirit made from sugar cane juice that is produced in Haiti. It gets its name (kleren in Haitian Creole) from its clear color. This clairin comes from an independent distillery that sits in the northern high-altitude village of Saint Michel de L’Attalaye and is run by Michel Sajous. Just like the distillery of Paranubes, the Sajous Clairin is organically cultivated. Sajous uses the cristalline variety of sugar cane. This type of sugar cane doesn’t yield as much juice when pressed compared to larger production rum companies, but the juice that it does hold has a ton of character. In fact, this type of cane comes from small villages that use machinery without electricity. The sugar cane is also cut by hand and transported by ox carts or donkeys to the distilleries. Wild beasts and sugar cane. That’s it, folks. It smells stronger than it tastes: grassy, slightly fruity, and very clean. Don’t let the 107 proof on the label scare you — indeed, this is high-octane, but there is so much flavor to decipher, and the clean finish makes this a new staple in my bar. I’m ordering three bottles next time. I recommend the Clairin Sajous definitely in a daiquiri, or on the rocks. Are you a fan of rum? I feel like there are two groups: Those that like common, molassesbased rum (Molasses is made by boiling sugar cane juice, and then skimming off the top while it’s boiling. After this process is repeated many times, the end result is a thick and sweet liquid.) and those who like Agricole rhums that are made from sugar cane juice. I say that the first group likes “common rum” because that rum is everywhere and is always sweeter. Agricole rum can be more effluvious or funky, and that’s the rum I prefer.

Ti’ Punch

1 teaspoon organic cane sugar 1 fat lime wedge (not that half-moon, sliver-of-a-lime nonsense) 2 ounces rhum agricole (I use Paranubes) Place sugar and lime into a rocks glass. Gently muddle lime into the sugar. Release the oils of the lime into the juice without pulverizing it. Add rum and ice. Give it a quick stir. Take your time and enjoy. PS Tony Cross is a bartender (well, ex-bartender) who runs cocktail catering company Reverie Cocktails in Southern Pines.

More Life add

A round that never disappoints.

to your retirement

Make 2020 the year of new beginnings at a vibrant and down-to-earth Life Plan Community offering:

✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

maintenance-free living whole person wellness lifelong learning at Elon University a spacious new home or apartment peace of mind for the future

P  ’ 

L      1860 Brookwood Ave. | Burlington Proud to be a part of

Managed by

Open to the Public 1010 Midland Road • Southern Pines, NC 28387 910.692.2114 • midpinesinn.com

19PNM013.DiningAd(MP).indd 1 February 2020 .

Call us today at 800-282-2053 or visit VillageAtBrookwood.org

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2/13/19 . . . . . 2:25 . . .PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

WINE COUNTRY

Let’s Be Clear Making sense of the language of wine

By Angela Sanchez

The wine world is awash in confusing

PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN KOOB GESSNER

terms, so let’s clarify a few.

Ever hear that sulfites, especially in red wines, can give you a headache? Not so fast. Wines have been produced with sulfites for centuries — from the ancient Romans’ use of candles made of sulfur to clean wine storing vessels, to turn-ofthe-century Europeans using sulfites to stop bacteria growth. “Sulfites help to preserve wine and slow chemical reactions which cause wine to go bad,” according to the website Wine Folly. Sulfites aren’t evil, but rather necessary for stabilization and preservation, as well as providing aging potential. A sulfite-free wine will have a very short shelf life. Lower acid wines need more sulfites than higher acid wines to become stable and increase shelf life. Sweeter wines need sulfites to prevent secondary fermentation. The United States and Australia are the only wine-producing countries that require notification on the label that the wine may contain sulfites. A low number of people may experience an allergic reaction to sulfites (mainly those suffering from asthma, and only 10 percent of them, or those with strong allergies to highly processed foods). A dry red wine contains about 50mg/L (milligrams per liter) of sulfites while a white wine has, on average, 100mg/L — lower than the content of french fries. Generally, wines range from 5mg/L to around 200 mg/L, and in the U.S. the legal limit is 350mg/L. So, the headache could be the result of a myriad of reasons, but most likely not sulfites. Some farming and production practices can also be confusing. What does it mean to be sustainably or organically farmed? A wine that is produced using only organic grapes — which have had no pesticides or herbicides used on them — in a vineyard overseen by the USDA Organic National Program and uses only organic material to filter the wine can have a label that reads “organic wine.” Most producers in the U.S. and abroad do not choose to label this way simply because it is too restrictive. In the U.S. you will more often see wines labeled “made with organic grapes” instead, meaning that the vineyard where the grapes were produced is certified organic but that the production method — for instance, the use of sulfites to stabilize the wine, or the use of egg whites to filter it — are not certified organic. The production of the grapes on an organic level and producing a quality wine are the top concerns versus making a wholly organic product. Stewardship of the land is uppermost in organic farming, producing healthy

vines and fruit from well-cared-for land, and maintaining a healthy standard of quality for the soil for years to come. Farming “clean” grapes on even a single vineyard on a property of hundreds of acres is extremely costly and labor intensive but worth it. The cost of certifying the wine itself as organic is less important. To me, wines that are farmed and produced sustainably provide a more well-rounded approach. Usually a wine that has been produced sustainably — and noted on the label — encompasses practices beyond the winemaking. They include everything from stewardship of the land (perhaps not farming organically but choosing to use as few chemicals as possible), to upholding higher standards for human resources, to committing to alternative energy sources, and constant conservation of soil and water resources. The producer might choose to certify as “sustainably farmed,” meaning they would follow the practices of a certifying body (there are several) by keeping records and reports, often checked by a neutral third party. Or, the producer can simply choose to farm in this manner, without the certification, which can be costly and strict. Clarifying some of these terms makes it easier for consumers to be knowledgeable about the winemaking industry and its practices, but also to help them make more informed decisions when choosing what they drink. Here are a few suggestions on what to look for: Organic: Look for USDA certification on the label for wines made in the U.S. Made with “organic” grapes: Several great California and Oregon producers have wines in their portfolio that will have this on the label. One of my favorites is from Sokol Blosser Winery in Oregon. Certified “sustainably grown”: This certification will show that the wine has met the standards of a specific certifying body. Requirements vary from one certifier to the next, but generally the winery has followed conservation, preservation, environmental and social equity throughout their entire business. The area of Lodi in California has a great certification like this, called Certified Green. Other areas of California use SIP (sustainability in practice) certification to denote these practices. Elsewhere, look for the Integrity and Sustainability label on wines from South Africa, where nearly 100 percent of wineries carry this certification, showing their commitment to not only the land, soil and environment, but to the human resources that are an integral part of winemaking. PS Angela Sanchez owns Southern Whey, a cheese-centric specialty food store in Southern Pines, with her husband, Chris Abbey. She was in the wine industry for 20 years and lucky enough to travel the world drinking wine and eating cheese.

Everything for the avid golfer. Vault features a wide selection of apparel, accessories and unique finds from Peter Millar, Vineyard Vines, 47 Brand, Titleist, Dooney & Bourke, Oakley and more.

VAULT Mention this ad and save 20% on one regular-priced item. 132 N.W. BROAD STREET • SOUTHERN PINES Monday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Sunday Noon – 4 p.m. 910.235.8740

20PNH007.PinestrawRetailJan.indd 1

12/18/19 11:41 AM

Enjoy the excitement and awe of the Painted Ponies Art Walk as 10 fiberglass sculptures line Broad Street in Southern Pines from February 8 to April 2. Painted Ponies Art Walk & Auction February 8 to April 2, 2020 #PaintedPoniesCHP Local businesses have worked together to sponsor ponies and artists from the area have donated their time and talent to turn each pony into an exquisite work of art. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a stroll through town to view the Painted Ponies! Take your picture with your favorite Painted Pony and share it on social media with #PaintedPoniesCHP to introduce friends and family to the newest attraction in our region! Visit www.carolinahorsepark.com for details.

Visit www.carolinahorsepark.com | (910) 875-2074 | 2814 Montrose Rd, Raeford, NC 28376 Proceeds from the Painted Ponies Art Walk & Auction benefits the Carolina Horse Park’s educational and environmental programs.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN

Micro Biz

Delivering nutrition in a tray

By Jan Leitschuh

While the cutting February winds scour the Sandhills, a young Southern Pines entrepreneur putters amid a bright, humid sea of edible green.

His grandfather and great-grandfather were farmers; their tools were mules, harness and hand plows. His tools are scissors and plastic trays, LED lights and stainless steel shelves. But for Isaac Kundinger, 26, the occupational heritage is identical: growing stuff. His “stuff” is microgreens. In 2017, Kundinger took his young savings and embarked on the adventure of starting his own business, The Conscious Cultivators LLC. From a building attached to his parents’ house, Kundinger sells boxes of microgreens to area chefs, Nature’s Own Market, the Pinehurst farmers market and elsewhere. Microgreens are young vegetable greens, approximately 1–3 inches long, grown out from a tray of seeds. The pungent young greens fall somewhere between sprouts and baby leaf vegetables. They have an intense, aromatic flavor and concentrated nutrient content, and come in a variety of colors and textures. The tender greens are full of antioxidants and beneficial phytochemicals. First introduced to the Californian restaurant scene in the 1980s, microgreens have steadily gained popularity, and can be found in most whitetable restaurants these days, either in salads, as a garnish or integrated into various dishes. Microgreens can be grown from a variety of seeds: lettuces, arugula, kale, sunflower and chards, herbs like chervil and basil, vegetables like broccoli or radish. As such, the rainbow hue of the various sprouted seeds leads some chefs to call it “vegetable confetti.” The rich flavor and concentrated nutrition of microgreens add a welcome splash of color and taste to a variety of soups, salads, eggs and other dishes, say local chefs. “We use his microgreens in many dishes at the restaurant,” says Matthew

Hannon, award-winning chef de cuisine at Ashten’s restaurant in Southern Pines. “It might be a specific herb tailored to a specific dish, or garnish for multiple dishes. We use his greens as salads, blended in soups and sauces, or anything else we can find a use for them. We truly cannot get enough.” One advantage for Ashten’s, says Hannon, is the hometown connection. “The main thing we like about his product is the quality and freshness,” he says. “His operation is literally blocks from the restaurant so the freshness is unmatched.” Another local advantage is customization. For Chef Warren’s, for example, Kundinger grows a special mix of fennel, lemon balm and chervil for a specific seafood dish. Hannon relishes the flexibility. “One thing we like so much is our working relationship,” he says. “Issac is always willing to try new microgreens for us. If there is something obscure we are looking for, he’s willing to give it a whirl. I think it keeps us both excited about new products “ In his operation, Kundinger uses only an organic compost mix in his trays. His lighting is a mixture of LEDs, fluorescents and blue light to ensure maximum health, growth and nutrition. He watches the trays of sprouted seed attentively as they form the first, thin seed leaves. He harvests in a short, carefully timed window, when the majority of the tray develops its first hearty set of true leaves. Fans for air movement ensure the proper humidity, so the greens are not packed wet. With sterilized scissors and plastic gloves, he carefully snips the tender crops from the seeds in the tray, taking care not to crush fragile cell walls. The microgreens are then packed in special clear containers, weighed, labeled and delivered. Kitchen gardeners wishing for a little February fresh-vegetable hit could grow ’n’ snip a tray of their own vegetable seeds in a windowsill. The most popular microgreen varieties use seeds from a number of plant families, including: • Brassicaceae: cauliflower, broccoli, kale, cabbage, radish, collards and arugula. • Asteraceae: lettuces, endive, chicory and radicchio. • Apiaceae: dill, carrot, fennel and celery.

SHOW YOUR LOVE WITH THE

perfect gift

Gift Card

(910) 603-5379

www.JsMobileDetailing.com JsMobileDetailing@yahoo.com

Pest Con t r ol Sol u t i on s Si n ce 1 9 6 0

• Termite Control • Yard Treatments • Flea & Tick Control • Household Pest Control • Crawlspace Protection Since 1960

124 N. Poplar St • Aberdeen, NC 944-2474 • Fax 944-2633• NC License #277PW Art Parker, Owner • aparker@nc.rr.com

FREE INSPECTIONS, FREE ESTIMATES 50

Member American Mosquito Control Association

THE KITCHEN GARDEN

• Amaryllidaceae: garlic, onion and leek. • Amaranthaceae: amaranth, quinoa, Swiss chard, beet and spinach. • Cucurbitaceae: melon, cucumber and squash. Pea shoots, curly tendrils and all, are another popular crop for Kundinger. He is experimenting with basil microgreens. Microgreens pack all the nutritional punch of their larger parents, but in concentrated form. According to microgreen aficionados, every salad could benefit. The road to the microgreen business was convoluted for Kundinger. He’d taken some college classes for pre-dental, but found the work unfulfilling. He had friends out West with a medical marijuana business. “This piqued an interest in indoor farming with me,” he says. He began researching the science of vertical gardening, making several trips to learn the growing process and techniques. “I began to see, especially in urban areas, that indoor farming is becoming a wave of the future,” he said. “The concept of growing microgreens indoors appealed to me through vertical farming, and it was evident to me that one can grow more nutritious food for more people in much less space. It’s become my passion.” He started out in a 10x20-foot bay in his parents’ garage and turned it into a vertical grow room with 25 wooden shelves and 20 different varieties of microgreens. It was a steep learning curve. “There was no manual for me to follow on how to do this,” he says. “I’m learning all this from the ground up.” So to speak. He experimented with the growing process, the lighting, temperature, airflow and ventilation, heating/air, water, sanitation and more until he developed a thriving environment for microgreens. “He’s had to learn a lot on his own,” says Eric Wind, Kundinger’s operations manager. “Lots of trial and error.” Once he was able to consistently produce a top quality product, Kundinger began taking samples to local upscale restaurants, country clubs, health foods stores and farmers markets. “Working closely with the customer is how I have built my clientele over the past two years,” he says.

148 East New Hampshire Ave. | Southern Pines Tues - Fri 11 to 5, Saturday 11 to 4 | (910) 692-3749

David Moore Photography

Attention Business Owners and Executives: Tired of having to search for the professional services you need? Let Pinehurst Capital’s Personal CFO Program be your Virtual Family Office.

Comprehensive Financial Planning

Here for you... here for family... here for life!

www.pinehurstcapital.net 910.235.4140 Pinehurst | Wilmington | Raleigh Pinehurst Capital, Inc. is a Registered Investment Advisor in the state of North Carolina.

THE KITCHEN GARDEN

The walls for his grow room glow white, and the room smells strongly of springtime with a faint undernote of disinfectant. Everything looks clean, bright and fresh. The grow room walls are a special washable material, glossy and easy to sanitize. He uses fans for airflow, to prevent mildew. Watering routines are strict. The racks are stainless steel, replacing his original wooden racks — stainless steel the preferred surface for sterilization. An eye on larger markets has prompted many of these changes. While the business is successful, Kundinger sometimes must work part-time to fund expansion and sanitation upgrades and boost his income. To ensure a self-supporting business, he knows he has to grow his markets. “My vision for the future is to get GAP-certified (Good Agricultural Practices, a USDA audit program) so that I can expand to large distributors, catering companies, colleges and other large commercial outlets,” he says. He recently tripled his indoor vertical space. Building a business from the ground up has not been easy, but there have been rich, unexpected gifts. “Figuring this business out taught me discipline,” he says. “I just want this so bad.” Another gift has been the ability to live his values. The name of his business, The Conscious Cultivators, suggests as much. “It reflects my passion for natural farm practices, and to highlight my core values,” he says. “I can truly say that I am finding joy in the journey. I am deeply thankful to all of the chefs and businesses that have supported me and believed in me — they played a huge role in my success. Seeing my product used so creatively and artistically to create mouthwatering and nutritious dishes in our local restaurants — and knowing that I played a part in it — has been extremely rewarding.” As for the chefs, they are effusive in their praise. “We’ve always known Issac was on to bigger and better things,” says Hannon. “His commitment to his craft definitely shines in the end result.” PS Jan Leitschuh is a local gardener, avid eater of fresh produce and co-founder of the Sandhills Farm to Table cooperative.

A diverse set of wealth management options to meet your diverse set of needs.

From retirement planning to saving for college and more, Schwab has a breadth of investment products to help you and everyone under your roof reach their financial goals.

Philip Bailey Southern Pines Independent Branch 10840 US 15/501 Highway, Unit D Southern Pines, NC 28387 910-684-4965 schwab.com/southernpines

February Happenings

America’s Lager Brewery... Red Oak, home of Fresh Real Beer, invites you to visit their Charming Lager Haus with its Old World Ambience. Relax under the trees in the Biergarten, sit by the Stream, admire the Sculpture… Great Place to Unwind after a long day!

Love

is in the beer

Wednesdays Music Bingo

Thursdays Wine Specials

Fridays Brewery Tour Sunday, February 9th Yoga - 2:00pm

I 40/85 Exit 138 east of Greensboro 6905 Konica Dr., Whitsett, NC Wednesday - Friday - 4 - 10pm Friday Brewery Tour 4:30pm Saturday 1 - 10pm Sunday 1 - 7pm

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR OUR UPCOMING

1516 FEST

MARCH 27-29TH

Putting Relationships First The 34.9 Group at Morgan Stanley We believe in putting relationships first. It’s the cornerstone of our practice.

Linda S. Goff,

Vice President, Wealth Management, Financial Advisor, Financial Planning Specialist

Jenn Kissinger, Financial Advisor

Denise Lynch,

CFP®, CRPS®, Second Vice President, Financial Advisor

2153 Valleygate Dr, Suite 201 Fayetteville, NC 28304 Direct: (910) 481-8561 Fax:(910) 481-8584

Combining decades of life experience and knowledge with compassion and empathy they speak your language. So if you are ready to have a family of advisors on your side in 2020, connect with them today. Financial services include: 401(k) Rollovers, 529 Plans, Asset Management, Cash Management, Corporate Retirement Plans, Defined Contribution Plans, Estate Planning Strategies, Financial Planning, Life Insurance, Long Term Care Insurance, Qualified Retirement Plans, Retirement Planning, Wealth Management and Annuities.

https://fa.morganstanley.com/349group Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”), its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors or Private Wealth Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Clients should consult their tax advisor for matters involving taxation and tax planning and their attorney for matters involving trust and estate planning and other legal matters. The investments listed may not be suitable for all investors. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC recommends that investors independently evaluate particular investments, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a financial advisor. The appropriateness of a particular investment will depend upon an investor’s individual circumstances and objectives. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and federally registered CFP (with flame design) in the U.S, which it awards to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements. Life insurance, disability income insurance, and long-term care insurance are offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC’s licensed insurance agency affiliates. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is a registered Broker/Dealer, Member SIPC, and not a bank. Where appropriate, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC has entered into arrangements with banks and other third parties to assist in offering certain banking related products and services. Investment, insurance and annuity products offered through Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC are: NOT FDIC INSURED | MAY LOSE VALUE | NOT BANK GUARANTEED | NOT A BANK DEPOSIT | NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 2896751 01/20

the

CLOTHES HORSE LADIES clothing & accessories

Dressing Moore County For 23 Years • Beside The Fresh Market

163 Beverly Lane, Southern Pines, NC 28387 • 910.693.2111 Mon.-Fri. 10am-5pm • Sat. 10am-4pm • facebook.com/ClothesHorseofSPines

110 NW Broad Street Southern Pines, NC 28387

910-692-2388

MOM INC

No Sweat

But lots and lots of perspiration

By R enee Whitmore

It’s winter break. Most 16-year-olds are Netflix binging, texting back and forth with the friend sitting right next to them, eating too much McDonalds, and overall doing whatever it is 16-year-olds do.

I’m waiting in my car, listening to my latest audiobook, in the parking lot outside the school. He said he would be done at 11 a.m., but I’ve done this enough to know that time is relative when it comes to wrestling practice. It’s already 11:12. I text him, “I’m here. Groceries in the trunk. Hurry up.” Time ticks by. I listen to my book and check Facebook for holiday updates. Nothing exciting. I can pretty much hear the ice cream melting in the trunk. Wait, no, it’s 37 degrees outside. It should be fine. Then I see him, walking with a limp, surrounded by his teammates. He has no shirt on. (Did I mention it’s 37 degrees?) Sweat glistens over his skin. He’s carrying his gym bag with one hand and his wrestling shoes with another. He sees me, continues to limp to the car. “How was it?” I ask after he slides into the passenger seat. “Why are you limping?” “I had to train with the 152. It was rough.” (Wrestlers refer to each other not by name, but by weight.) “Are you over?” “Eight pounds.” “You have two days.” “Yeah. I can do it. I’m burning up. Can I turn on the AC?” he says, as he switches the knob from heat to cold and blasts the air. I shiver. (Did I mention it’s 37 degrees outside?) His next tournament is in two days. Losing 8 pounds in two days sounds like a feat. Heck, I have been struggling with losing the same 5 pounds for a year-and-a-half. But I have learned, for wrestlers, it’s no biggie. They know all the tricks. I used to hold my breath every time he stepped on the scale at home, wondering how a 5-foot, 6-inch manboy could wrestle in the 120-pound weight class. He’s naturally around 135-140, but this season, as a sophomore wrestling varsity, he decided he was going to wrestle 120 because his height would give him an advantage.

“I have practice again at 3,” he says, as he bites into a protein bar and takes a tiny swallow of water. “OK.” We pull into our driveway, he helps me unload the groceries, and before I can even get them all put way, he is running on the treadmill. I know the next two days will be rough. He will limit his food and water intake drastically. He will take hot baths to “sweat.” I’ll hear him in there, letting lukewarm water out and filling it with steaming hot water over and over. Our water bill . . . well, you’d think we pressure-washed Mount Rushmore. And he will run. He will run outside and on the treadmill several times a day. I will be trying to drift off to sleep around 11 p.m., and I will hear the hum and rhythm start up and the thump, thump, thump of his feet on the treadmill. He tries other techniques to lose weight, too. For example, the other day while he was at school, I got a photo text of a half-filled water bottle. I answered with a question mark. “It’s spit. I think it’s at least a pound.” “Gross,” I reply. The days leading up to a tournament can be grueling, not just for him, but for all of us. No one wants to eat around him. The other day my husband, Jesse, was eating macaroni and cheese in our bedroom. “I don’t want him to see me eat,” Jesse said as he scooped a forkful into his mouth. And then there’s the irritability that can’t really be avoided. He’s irritable because he’s hungry. I’m irritable because he’s hungry. My husband and other son are irritable because he’s hungry. I pray for patience. On the day of the tournament, I wait for the text after weigh-ins. It’s just a number. 119.7 119.8 119.9 120.0 And I will breathe a sigh of relief. He made it. I will send him back the emoticon with the flexing biceps. “Now, eat something. Please.” He will down a sandwich, a few protein bars, Gatorade, and water to get his strength back. In an hour or so, he will wrestle. And the fun will begin. PS When Renee isn’t teaching English or being a professional taxi driver for her two boys, she is working on her first book.

You Love herâ&#x20AC;¦

STUDENT ATHLETE

She loves flowers

OF THE MONTH BROUGHT TO YOU BY

DO YOU KNOW A STUDENT ATHLETE WHO IS A GREAT ROLE MODEL? HAS OVERCOME ADVERSITY? GIVES BACK TO THE COMMUNITY? OR JUST HAS AN INFECTIOUS POSITIVE ATTITUDE? We want to recognize them in The Pilot! Anyone can nominate a student athlete coaches, parents, teammates, friends, or familyns.

NOMINATE A STUDENT TODAY www.thepilot.com/promotions

Fueled by

910-692-7243 www.hollyfielddesign.com

Fall in Love with One Bite!

910-944-0826 9671 Hwy 211 East Lower Aberdeen, NC Tues-Thurs 12-9pm Fri & Sat 12-10pm

OUT OF THE BLUE

Confess to the Mess What would life be without it?

By Deborah Salomon

Life is funny. Accidents happen.

Last week I had an epic kitchen accident. No broken bones or burned fingers, just a royal mess. Yo, Hamlet: To laugh or to cry . . . that is the question. As I sat on the kitchen floor dripping sweet and sour tomato sauce from a bowl of cabbage rolls I was removing from the refrigerator, when I tripped over the cat, other mishaps crept back. At the time these disasters spelled the end of the world. Now, they’re just funny. Like the time . . . I heard a scratchy noise in the living room fireplace. Bats in the belfry? Leaves blowing around the chimney? The cat heard it too and positioned herself as watchdog. We had a huge stone fireplace in the family room so I let this one be — until the morning two squirrels faced me from the other side of the glass fire screen. They had found winter digs and now . . . what’s for breakfast? I fed the poor buggers peanut butter sandwiches until spring, when the chimney sweep catapulted them into an overhanging tree. A chimney cap sealed the deal. How ’bout the cop who caught me U-turning? I’ve driven for 65 years without a moving violation. Couldn’t suppress a giggle as I rolled down the window and handed him my paperwork. “What’s so funny?” he asked. “Where were you the other 24 times?” I answered. He besmirched my record only with a warning. I can’t remember sending a sensitive email to the wrong address but have received such a mistake. Oh my. Will not reveal the juicy details. Then, the morning I took Tylenol PM (not one, but two!) rather than regular for a headache . . . and fell asleep at work. When I was about six, my father managed an appliance store owned by a Mr. Greenshield. Daddy complained about him incessantly, called him Mr. Greensh--. I didn’t get it. Then one day my mother took me to the office; Dad proudly introduced his little girl to Mr. Greenshield. Wide-eyed, I chirped, “I thought his name was Mr. Greensh--.” Not my fault, Daddy. The two most cringe-worthy mishaps involved spillage. During high school summer vacation I worked on the Red Cross bloodmobile that served Western North Carolina mountain villages. I helped donors fill out forms and learned to

type blood. Can’t remember the exact circumstances, only that the nurse handed me a clear plastic container of freshly drawn blood. It was, unexpectedly, warm. I’m not squeamish but, instinctively, I let go. Splashdown. Bloodbath. Stephen King. “Carrie.” Mortification. The second, a classic tragi-comedy. When my son Danny was about 10, he and pal Jeff asked if they could set up a lemonade stand with real lemonade. Sure. I told them to get the juicer and other stuff ready while I went for lemons. Danny ripped open a 5-pound bag of sugar, which spilled onto the floor. Fearing my reaction he and Jeff hurried to clean it up. Not with the vacuum cleaner. Not with broom and dustpan. With water. Sugar and water become Crazy Glue on a tile floor. It was shiny-sticky (except bumps made by trapped ants) for months. One apocalypse had a happy ending. We were in Israel for three weeks, in 1981. On the flight over, my eye began itching, which made wearing contacts impossible. It got worse. The desert sun bore down. I had no prescription sunglasses. Misery. A week into the trip we were sitting by the pool when a man approached. “Aren’t you . . . ?” he asked my husband. Yes! They had been high school classmates. Miracle of miracles the friend was now (drum roll, applause) an ophthalmologist. He diagnosed an infection, gave me something to clear it up. God bless. I’ve saved the best for last — creepy, unbelievable but, true. In the summer of 1962, I flew with my 5-month-old baby from Raleigh/ Durham to New York. Ominous clouds were forming. Sure enough we headed into a storm . . . thunder, lightening, the works. The baby began to cry. I was frantic, terrified. “Here, try this,” said the nice man sitting beside us, dangling his keys within her reach. That voice, strangely familiar. Could it be? Impossible. I turned towards him, for a good look. I was flying into the abyss beside Rod Serling, originator of The Twilight Zone and spokesman on Eastern Airlines TV commercials. Everybody knew that voice. “TZ” was a sensation. I never missed an episode. Several had similar plots — flying or sailing into the menacing unknown. Mr. Serling saw the shock on my face, put a finger to his lips and reassured me things would be fine. Life’s funny. Stuff happens, or else wouldn’t it be boring? PS Deborah Salomon is a staff writer for PineStraw and The Pilot. She may be reached at debsalomon@nc.rr.com.

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 2020

Tantalizing burgers with a side of up and down.

GETTING INTO COLLEGE IS HARD. PAYING FOR IT IS EVEN HARDER.

Come learn how to make your kid’s college dreams come true!

COLLEGE BOUND ESSENTIALS Saturday, April 18 • 9:00 - 3:00 p.m. at Pinecrest High School Nationally recognized author and speaker,

ELIZABETH HARTLEY

of Scholarship Gold Consulting, will be speaking on navigating the college & scholarship application process.

Plus Princeton Review Session:

SAT/ACT Tips, Tricks and Strategies College Admissions Counselor Presentation PRESENTED BY

I  - T  - R     L      TICKETS SOLD THROUGH TICKETMESANDHILLS.COM CHECK US OUT ON FACEBOOK

Open to the Public

Sponsored by

1005 Midland Road • Southern Pines, NC 28387 910.692.7111 • pineneedleslodge.com

19PNM031.DiningAds.indd February 12020 .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3/7/19 . . . . 2:34 . . .PM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

B I R D WA T C H

Speed Dating and Mating For mallards, timing is everything

By Susan Campbell

For some birds — like mallards here in

central North Carolina — spring comes early. While other birds are simply eating and sleeping to survive the worst of winter, with little else on their minds, the drakes sporting their finest feathers, and the hens are on the lookout for a safe neighborhood to raise the next generation of ducklings.

Mallards are familiar to just about all of us — found nearly worldwide, thanks in large part to their popularity as a game bird. The males, with their glossy green heads, curly tail feathers and well-known, loud voices are perhaps the most readily identified fowl on the planet. Females, on the other hand, are much less noticeable but still readily identifiable given their mottled plumage, yellow bills and stereotypical “quacks.” The affinity for living and nesting near people is unparalleled. Although a large percentage of mallards found throughout our state have been domesticated to varying degrees, many behave more like their wild cousins than barnyard fowl. Truly wild mallards are indeed wary and are unlikely to waddle up to arm’s length for handouts. These so-called “puddle ducks” favor forested areas with ponds and small lakes that provide plenty of emergent and submerged vegetation. While foraging, it’s bottoms up for mallards who are given to feeding heads’ down on leaves, shoots and roots in the shallows. You can also see them diving for food below the surface. They’ll feast on invertebrates when abundant, as well as fruits that may fall into the water. Mallards can also digest mast and so may be seen gobbling up nuts (such as acorns on land) in fall and winter too. Like all waterfowl, mallards pair by early winter. Pairs may be seen swim-

ming in tandem, and you may even catch them copulating, early in the calendar year — well before the mercury begins to rise. Also watch for drakes defending their mates from unmated males in duels that can be quite violent as well as loud. As winter turns to spring, expect the behavior to escalate — not unlike their human counterparts. In the world of waterfowl, males outnumber females by as many as four to one — so competition can be fierce. By early March the hens will have found a suitable nesting site. Wandering away from the water’s edge, sometimes as much as a quarter mile, a female mallard will create a simple scrape in a protected spot to start her family. She will lay an egg a day until the clutch is complete. She may lay more than a dozen eggs by the time she’s satisfied with her stash. Each morning, after each egg is laid, she will add down from her breast to the clutch to insulate them from the cold. She will also cover them with pine needles or other vegetation that is present in the proximity of the nest to protect them from the elements. But what’s most important is the blanket that will hide the nest from the eyes of potential predators. Nest placement for mallards is the key to success. Should she be spotted by crows, the eggs will be eaten in short order. If the nest is sniffed out by raccoons or foxes, it will be consumed in no time flat. Therefore, many hens have learned to lay eggs within the thickest of vegetation — or to nest very close to human habitation. I had a mallard nest in the flowerbed literally right outside my front door for several seasons while living on a lake in the Sandhills. So should you happen to witness mallards courting nearby in the coming weeks, it could mean the appearance of fluffy yellow ducklings by early spring. Indeed the days are lengthening and these well-known birds are quite aware of the importance of timing, even in the absence of a calendar — or smart phone. Imagine that! PS Susan would love to hear from you. Send wildlife sightings and photos to susan@ncaves.com.

Senior Living at its Best… • NO ENTRANCE FEE! — Own your own home • NEW Transitional Rehab Facilities • Age in place with many levels of care

• Abundant arts & cultural activities • Gated Country Club Community • World class medical minutes away • Fitness & indoor aquatic center

336-998-6539 | BermudaVillage.net 60

1650 Valley View Road • Southern Pines, NC Adjacent to Hyland Golf Course on US 1

910-692-0855

www.WindridgeGardens.com WINTER HOURS: Fri.-Sat. 10AM-5PM, Sun. 1PM-5PM or by appointment.

SPORTING LIFE

The Mist of Memories Family never strays far from the home place

By Tom Bryant

“Tommy, I think I’m going to get a

couple of cows. Tom, did you hear me?”

“Ma’am?” “I said I’m going to buy two cows.” “What?” “Two cows. Buy. Put in yonder pasture.” “Mama, that’s crazy. You know nothing about cows. That could be a real disaster.” “Son, I was milking cows when you were just a figment of my imagination.” “Yeah, Mom, but you were a lot younger, and Grandaddy took care of the cows.” “Makes no difference. Next time you come to visit, I’ll have two cows in the pasture beside the house, keeping me company.” And that’s the way it was that early February so many years ago. Somehow, that month had snuck in a couple of spring-like days to lull us into thinking winter was about over. Two or three mild days and then BAM, winter slapped us in the jaw just to let us know that there was more to Mother Nature than was predicted on the Weather Channel. Mom and I were enjoying the warmth on the front porch of the old house. I was in a rocker soaking up the rays, and Mom was in the swing, holding forth, talking nonstop about her plans for the home place and its surrounding fields, including pastures on both sides and behind the venerable, ancient plantation house. The farm has been in our family for generations, going back to 1830. Built ostensibly as a wedding present for a young couple, it evolved into a working farm after the Civil War.

Mom had seven siblings, and after my grandparents passed away and during the hiatus while the lawyers figured out who would inherit what, the old house fell into disrepair. None of the children, except Mom, wanted to take on the responsibility and the expense of bringing the antiquated dwelling into the 20th century. She took on the challenge. It was her history. Too many family occasions had taken place in the old house and the land surrounding it to, as she put it, let it rot away. It was a chore, but as she often did when facing a real difficult task, she made it work. My dad passed away at a young age but not before he helped Mom pull together all the intricacies required to restore the farm. First came the general contractor, a gentleman builder who also wanted to see the historical house survive. It was a fact that he actually lost money on the project but was proud of the outcome, and often boasted to his friends that the job was a pleasure as he uncovered the amazing handiwork performed so many years ago. The old house finally was comfortably livable, serving the family as it had so many years in the past. Mom reveled in family occasions and had as many events, which also included neighbors, as she possibly could; and most times it seemed as if I was in the middle of it all. Family was more than important to her, it was almost a religion. For example, there was the time when my cousin Faye had a series of small strokes and was recovering at home in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. Mom found out that I was going to be in Charleston on a business trip and gave me a call one evening right before I headed south. “Tommy, when are you going to Charleston?” “I’m leaving Monday. I’m gonna stop by the farm on the way home.” “Make sure you see Faye while you’re there.” “Mom, Faye’s sick. She can hardly talk. I don’t want to bother her.” “You won’t bother her. She’s family. You can talk, she can listen.”

PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

February 2020

Custom built home. Approx. 20 fenced acres. 1.5 Stories. 3 beds, 2 Full Baths, 2 Half Baths, 2801-3000 SqFt. Unbelievable opportunity for a small farm with two gated entrances. Custom built home features hardwood floors, family room with 22’ ceiling, built-ins, and beautiful stone fire place, and much more! 50’ x 75’ shop has 22’ ceiling, attached carport, RV hookup & storage space. The second building is 30’ x 52’ & the perfect workshop with two overhead roll up doors. 1BR 1 BA apartment upstairs with open kitchen and living area. Price is 749,000. Find more information at: https://matrix.Longleafpinemls.com/DE.asp?ID=143201224

Tracy Davis-Gibson Broker/Owner

Connell Real Estate 910-875-8305 Office 910-624-9410 cell www.connellrealestatenc.com

An amazing selection of fine gold jewelry, electronics, tools, musical instruments, and much more!

Paul Blake

& Associates

ESTATE LIQUIDATION & TAG SALE SERVICES Serving buyers and sellers in Moore and surrounding counties for over 30 years.

LICENSED & BONDED

Refer to The Pilot Newspaper for current sale dates & locations or go to ThePilot.com or estatesales.net

ESTATE LIQUIDATORS Paul Blake 910.315.7044 Chuck Helbling 910.315.4501

Have you upgraded your TV, gaming system, jewelry, or anything else? If your old stuff is still in decent shape, don’t throw it away! Sell it to us!

WE BUY GOLD - including scrap gold and broken gold! Mon.-Fri. 9am-6pm • Sat. 9am-4pm 2715 Lee Avenue Ext., Sanford 919.774.7195 • www.kendalepawn.com

Tara’s Jewelry Inside Kendale Pawn

Come see our full line of gold, silver, and platinum jewelry.

Voted Best Estate Sales Team Three Years In A Row!

919.774.7196 • Special Orders Available

SPORTING LIFE

It turned out Faye and I had a good visit, and on the way home, I stopped by the farm and told Mom all about it. “Now, didn’t it make you feel good to see your oldest cousin?” she said as I was walking out the door to head home. “Actually, Mom, it did. Faye looked good and hopes to be up and around soon. She wants to make the family reunion in August.” Family reunions! Mom lived for them. It seemed to me in those days as soon as a reunion was over, the plans for the next one would start. They were old-time events during the heat of summer. Relatives I hadn’t seen in years would arrive and feel right at home. Most of the time, my Uncle Tom would barbecue a hog all night before the day of the major event. Aunts, uncles, cousins and cousins twice removed would arrive full of stories about long-dead relatives. In my family, ghosts were always close. It’s said that a person never dies as long as there’s a memory. If that’s true, most of my family, as far back as I can think, is still around in the halls of the old house or hovering in the branches of the live oaks along with the Spanish moss. It’s a Southern thing. As my friend Lewis Grizzard said, “In a way, we’re a lot like the Japanese inasmuch as we revere our ancestors and eat a lot of rice.” Mom’s two “cows” blossomed into about 20 great big black Angus beef cattle. The 1,000-pound bull would follow her around the pasture like a puppy dog. She talked a lot about the freezing lateMarch morning when a new calf was born behind the barn in brambles and briars close to the icedover pond. It was still dark when Mom went down there in the middle of a sleet storm to make sure the calf and the bawling heifer were OK. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my many years as a Southerner, it’s that nothing stays the same, good things as well as bad. That was also true with Mom’s cattle and her ranching experience. The cows became too much to handle, and she had to sell them. She cried like a baby when the big cattle truck loaded the cows and took them away. The old farm seemed empty after they were gone. Mom went to her glory a couple of years ago after a long, wonderful life. Her ghost, I’m sure, resides with the rest of the family’s long-departed spirits in the halls of the old house. My sister, Bonnie, inherited the home place along with the surrounding properties, including the grasslands. Next time I’m down there, I’m gonna try to convince her she needs to put a few cows in the pastures. It would make the old farm look natural, and Mom would be proud. PS Tom Bryant, a Southern Pines resident, is a lifelong outdoorsman and PineStraw’s Sporting Life columnist.

DON’T MISS NORTH CAROLINA’S AIRE RR AI VVI IA N GN AE VPERN IT L 1 7 - 1 8 , PREM TIO

2020

Celebration Concert ★ Aircraft Fly-Overs ★ Warbird Displays ★ Precision Jump Teams Runway 5K Race ★ KidsZone ★ Vintage Cars ★ Food Trucks ★ Craft Beer and NC Wines

EARLY BIRD TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW! ticketmesandhills.com or festivaldavion.com Ticket Includes Friday Evening Concert

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:

www.FestivalDAvion.com WE CARRY SUCH MAJOR BRANDS AS

Delivery Available 15 Dawn Rd Hwy 5 Pinehurst, NC 28374 (910) 215-6197

Eat Your Heart Out Extraordinary Food in a Comfortable, Casual Atmosphere Chef Driven American Fare

Open Every Day • 11am - 10pm

(910) 246-0497 • 157 East New Hampshire Ave • Southern Pines, NC • www.ChapmansFoodAndSpirits.com Like us on

When it comes to local, take our word for it. No, really. Let us relieve the stress of downsizing, the move of an aging parent, death, divorce or relocation by providing the highest quality sale with the most professional service. Our staff will show respect not only to you and your family but also to the belongings entrusted to us. THE REGION’S PREMIERE ESTATE SALE SERVICE PROVIDER

Your Insider’s Guide to The Pines

Philip H. Huggins, AEL

910.670.1813 • 910.235.3763 howieandhuggins.com estatesales.net Licensed and Bonded Member Better Business Bureau Accredited Estate Liquidator ASEL

CHECK OUT OUR UPDATED WEBSITE FOR ALL THE INTEL YOU NEED TO THRIVE IN THE PINES.

itsthesway.com

G O L F T OW N J O U R NA L

Sixty-Eight and Counting Age just a number for Carolinas Hall of Famer

Don Detweiler By Lee Pace

Thirty years ago, Paul Simson showed

PHOTOGRAPHS PROVIDED BY LEE PACE

up at the Carolinas Mid-Amateur Championship at Yeamans Hall outside Charleston and realized he forgot to pack his putter before the drive down from his home in Raleigh. He was lamenting that fact in the parking lot when fellow competitor Vic Long said he had an extra Ping Zing putter that Simson could use.

“I shot a career round — a 62 with two eagles and a hole-in-one,” Simson says. “Obviously I asked Vic if I could keep the putter. I gave him a couple dozen balls and we called it square. If a putter feels good and you win with it, how am I going to change?” Today that putter sits in the Zan Law Hall of History at the Carolinas Golf Association headquarters in Southern Pines, the club having drained scores of birdies and eagles as Simson stormed his way through dozens of amateur golf titles on statewide, regional, national and international levels. Simson retired the club in 2012 in favor of a newer version of the same putter — updated design, tweaked with improved balance and metallurgy qualities. And the newer Ping Zing Redwood performs quite well, thank you. “My game is still competitive,” says the 68-year-old Simson. “I’ve had a handful of high finishes and am very competitive 13 years into senior golf with the guys just turning 55. I’m fairly pleased with the state of affairs.” On the cusp of 2020, Simson has his schedule mapped for a full slate of regional events as well as the British Senior Amateur at Royal Cinque Ports on the Southeast coast of England, the U.S. Senior Am at the Country Club of Detroit,

Paul Simson and the Canadian Senior Am at Pleasant Glen Golf Resort outside Vancouver. This year’s N.C. Senior Four-Ball will be contested at Mid Pines in August. “Some of the travel logistics will be challenging,” he says. “But I’m looking forward to another year. I had some successes in 2019 but some disappointments as well. I look back on 2019 with mixed emotions.” The highlight of 2019 was teaming with Don Detweiler, a fellow Raleigh resident and Northridge Country Club member, to win three CGA senior four-ball tournaments and give them nine team titles together. One of the victories was by 10 shots when they teamed for 63-62 scores in lapping the field in the Carolinas Super Senior Four-Ball in October at Mount Vintage Golf Club in North Augusta, South Carolina. “We’ve really been able to shoot some spectacular numbers,” says Simson. “It’s kinda fun to get that far ahead and just cruise along and enjoy yourself. Don is such a good partner and such a good friend, and our partnership has been a very special part of my golf career.” The burr in his saddle, though, was not winning an individual title and in fact shooting an uncharacteristic 77 in the final round of the Carolinas Super Senior at Green Valley Country Club in Greenville, South Carolina, in August. Simson led after the first round with a 65, but stumbled and allowed Russ Perry of Winston-Salem a window for a five-shot win. “You would think after as many competitive situations I’ve been in over the years, I wouldn’t still have to work on patience,” Simson says. “But you know how golf is. Somehow it will get under your skin, and you become frustrated and try to force things. You can’t force a golf game. Frustration is what will compromise a good golf score. In two or three events, I made a few mistakes, and rather than focus harder on the upcoming holes, I focused too much on the mistakes I made. Once you hit a golf shot, there’s not a whole lot you can do about it. “I’m just disappointed I have to keep learning the same axioms. Everyone knows you have to be patient, just like everyone knows that hard swings don’t

G O L F T OW N J O U R NA L

www.hotasanastudio.com 910-692-YOGA (9642)

py Hap tine’s n Vale Day!

LO YOUR VE SKIN

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE!

910-992-1219

OPEN HOUSE!

February 7th • 4:00-7:00 pm Start 2020 with beautiful, healthy skin… it’s not beyond your reach!

• Prizes • Demos • Goodies

Botox • Dysport Kybella • Dermal Fillers

Holly Orth

Skincare Expert

Services Include: • Microneedling MD Pen• Facials (Acne/Sensitive, Aging, Deep Cleaning, Brightening) • Chemical Peels • Microdermabrasion • Dermaplaning • IPL/Laser Genesis • Laser Hair Removal and MORE! Products: • Save The Wave • OBAGI Prices for your budget • Gift Certificates • Package Pricing Military Discount Available

Happy to announce Jennifer injectables will be coming to Mercier Aesthetics with her bag of goodies! Schedule now! Next Visit February 7th

Randall R. Mercier, M.D. - Medical Director • 630 S. Bennett Street, Southern Pines

produce good shots. But guess what — we swing hard all the time.” Simson’s day job is vice president at Towne Insurance Agency in Raleigh, a career that gives him freedom to travel for lots of golf. He has played in 64 USGA competitions, including the 1998 U.S. Open at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, and 2020 will mark the 36th straight year he’s played in a USGA event. He has won two U.S. Senior Amateur titles (2010 and ’12) and three British Senior Ams. Simson is in the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame and has collected 38 CGA titles — the most in history. Among his highlights in the Sandhills was winning back-to-back North & South Amateurs at Pinehurst No. 2 in 1995-96, and teaming with son Phillip to win three Carolinas Father-Son titles (2002 at Foxfire Golf & Country Club, 2013 at Seven Lakes Country Club and 2014 at Pinewild Country Club). And to think — it all started with that Carolinas Mid-Am victory 30 years ago, followed by a breakout three-win summer in 1991. Simson was fighting a nasty hook in June of 1991 when the N.C. Amateur was played at Alamance C.C. in Burlington. John Maginnes, a young player just out of East Carolina University, had his eyes on the pro tour, but before turning pro shot 65-65 in the first two rounds to take a seven-shot lead. One of his distant pursuers was Simson, who Maginnes says at the time was “some insurance salesman from Raleigh no one had ever heard of.” Simson opened with a 73 at Alamance and was trying to find something that worked in his warmup session the next morning. “Paul, you’re taking the club back way inside.” Simson looked up and saw friend and fellow competitor Mac McLendon of Lenior standing behind him. “Really?” Simson responded. The light bulb popped on. “At the time we were still playing balata balls, so

G O L F T OW N J O U R NA L

any imperfection in your swing made the ball really curve,” Simson says. “I was having a terrible time fighting the hook. Sure enough, I started taking the club back on a straight line and started hitting the nicest draw. That put me on plane.” Simson shot a 65 that day but was still eight shots behind Maginnes at the halfway mark. But that swing tweak wasn’t a one-day wonder. He followed with another 65 on Saturday while Maginnes played well but hardly lights-out, posting a 70. Still, Simson was down by three entering the final round. A theme emerged that weekend that would wreak havoc in the Carolinas golf community for years to come: working man with a few less hairs and a couple extra belt notches vs. 20-something with a limber back and unlimited hours to play golf. Simson shot a 69 on Sunday and Maginnes a 73, with Simson making a clutch 8-footer to save par on the last hole and win the title by one stroke. “So Paul Simson wins his first-ever championship in the state of North Carolina and now has set so many records they’ll never be broken — never be broken,” marvels Maginnes, who did play the pro tour but now is a full-time golf broadcaster. “That was a real thrill,” Simson says. “I went from relative anonymity to being on the front pages in the golf community. That win gave me a little momentum. I had finished second in 10 or 12 CGA events before winning in 1990. I knew then I could win. Winning the State Am the next near kind of opened the floodgates.” Indeed, Simson followed the victory in Burlington with championships in the Carolinas Am at Pinewild C. C. in Pinehurst in July and then in the Carolinas Mid-Am at Treyburn C. C. in Durham in October. He beat Kelly Mitchum 3 and 1 for the Carolinas Am title, and nudged Larry Boswell by three shots in the Mid-Am. “Ninety-one was a very good year,” Simson says. “I have very fond memories. That year really propelled me into a situation where I could step up my game and compete on more of a national level.” For three decades in the Carolinas, Simson’s trademarks have been a straw fedora, an arsenal of greenside recovery tricks, and an easygoing demeanor effectively countered with an intense zeal to win. “I think as you get older, you mellow out a bit,” Simson says. “I just love to play, and I love the competition. I get a charge particularly out of playing the college kids I don’t know that well. You beat some of these guys and they say, ‘How’d he beat me? He’s not as good as I am.’ “But in the end, this is a game you play for fun. It’s a lot easier to play for fun than to take it so seriously you make yourself miserable.” PS Chapel Hill-based writer Lee Pace has written about great golfers of the Sandhills and Carolinas for more than three decades. Write him at leepace7@gmail.com and follow him at @LeePaceTweet.

CeLebraTe YOur LOve wiTh us vaLeNTiNe’s DaY!

VaLeNtiNe’S DiNNer SPeCiaLS, PriMe riB & other SPeCiaLtieS. Combining New Traditions & Classic Cuisine

Locally Owned & Operated for Over 25 Years

www.beefeatersofsouthernpines.com

Dinner Mon-Sat 5-10pm • Lounge 5pm-until Monday-Saturday 5:00pm-10:00pm 910-692-5550 • 672 SW Broad St. Southern Pines, NC

STRESSLESS RECLINERS FROM EKORNES ENDORSED BY THE AMERICAN CHIROPRACTIC ASSOCIATION VOTED THE WORLD’S MOST COMFORTABLE RECLINER

160-L Pinehurst Ave. Southern Pines, NC comfortstudio.net 910-692-9624

The Sandhills Original TEMPUR-PEDIC Showroom

The American Chiropractic Association now endorses the “Stressless” seating solution from Ekornes, the largest furniture manufacturer in Scandinavia. This premium line of reclining sofas and chairs provides comfort and quality through its adaptive features, including a unique “Plus” system that ensures correct support for both the head and lower back.

LOCATED ON PINEHURST AVENUE BETWEEN ARBY’S AND LOWE’S HOME IMPROVEMENT

It’s a

Give her a gift this Valentine’s Day that will leave her relaxed, refreshed and feeling as special as she is. You choose the amount. And she can turn her gift card into any of our rejuvenating therapies, including a stimulating facial, a refreshing body wrap or one of our couple’s therapies in our romantic couple’s suite.

Call 910.235.8311 today and give her a gift that you’ll both enjoy.

February 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Village . . . . . . .of . . Pinehurst, . . . . . . . . . . . North . . . . . . .Carolina . . . . . . . . . • . pinehurst.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

February �� The Arrow I tried to explain Cupid to a 4-year-old today. He was making a Valentine for his grandmother, festooning a pink paper heart with stamps and stickers, writing ‘I love you’ across it in big, shaky letters. Then he asked about one of the stickers: Why does that heart have an arrow through it? How sad. Even after I told him that it was more like being ‘struck by love,’ he held his hand over his chest. I don’t want Cupid to shoot me, he said. That would hurt. I couldn’t disagree. — Ashley Wahl

A Legacy Imperiled Time and weather take their toll on Addor’s Rosenwald School

By Jim Moriarty

ou have to step carefully. There’s a massive hole in the roof directly over what was once the kitchen, just inside the back door. The floor still supports your weight. At least for now. An old sign on the wall left over from when it was the community center says “Welcome Addor Friends” but lays down the rules to a vacant building: No Alcohol or Drugs; No Arguing; No Gambling; No Fighting; No Profanity; No Weapons of Any Kind; No Smoking. Over one door it says “Library/Classroom.” There are still books on the shelves, an Encyclopedia Britannica and a set of World Books so old the Soviet Union still exists. Chairs small enough that a child’s toes can brush the floor are stacked on equally tiny desks built three abreast. In the “Auditorium,” a glass case shields old photos and scrapbooks of newspaper articles. There’s a dusty ping-pong table and a piano with notes that clunk off the walls of the empty room if you happen to plunk the right key, leaving little behind but the echo. The Lincoln Park School was built in 1922 on South Currant Street in Addor, the African-American town on the southern edge of Pinebluff where lumber and turpentine workers scratched out an existence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1890 it was the second largest town in Moore County,

with a population of 295. Once called Keyser, a phonetically unpopular name in America in the midst of a world war, the town was renamed in October 1918 in honor of Felix Addor, a local man who died on the troopship SS Leviathan — formerly the German passenger liner Vaterland, itself renamed by Woodrow Wilson — during its second Atlantic crossing delivering doughboys to the trenches. The school was one of 16 Rosenwald schools built in Moore County. The only other documented school remaining is Southern Pines Primary. “The Rosenwald school building effort, structured as a matching grant program, began with a $25,000 gift of Julius Rosenwald [part owner of Sears, Roebuck and Company] made in 1912 to Tuskegee in support of teacher training. At the behest of Booker T. Washington and Clinton J. Calloway, Rosenwald allowed $2,800 of that money to be used in a pilot program to help communities build small rural schools,” writes Claudia Stack, a filmmaker and educator in the New Hanover Schools. Her documentary about Rosenwald schools, Under the Kudzu, a project nine years in the making, was released in 2012. During the 20 years of the program’s existence, 4,977 schools were built in rural areas across the South and “constitute the most numerous and easily recognizable type of school built by African-American communities during the segregation era,” Stack

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE

Lincoln Park School circa 1996

writes. Until recently the Lincoln Park school had one of the original portraits of Rosenwald himself — a rarity in what remains of the schoolhouses. It has since been removed for safekeeping. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation that comes with a firm handshake and hearty pat on the back — but not a penny to keep a 98-year-old wooden structure from collapsing in on itself. “After its construction in 1922 through the cooperative efforts of parents, the Moore County School Board, and the Julius Rosenwald Fund, the Lincoln Park School rapidly became the center of the African-American community located in the Keyser area,” says the registration form of the National Register of Historic Places. Local involvement was particularly crucial. “Without a local drive to build a school, the project did not move forward,” writes Stack. “This self-help aspect of the school building projects, which bound communities tightly to their new schools, was part of the extraordinary vision shared by Rosenwald, Washington and Calloway.” After Albert S. Gaston became the school’s first principal in 1921, “he and his wife began to raise funds for the new Lincoln Park School. They visited towns on Friday nights with a program by the school children. Their success was profound: they raised $26 at the first meeting, and at subsequent ones raised $100 dollars in 10 minutes. In total they raised a sum of $1,000,” says the National Register filing. “I think there is something to be said for them architecturally,” says Stack of the schools. “They represent a progressive architecture. Some of the early buildings were designed by Robert Rochon Taylor, the first African-American architect to graduate MIT. He worked out of Tuskegee. Regardless, in the landscape, they’re a testament to the determination of African-American families to obtain education for their children.” Lorine McCants, having edged into her 90s, lives a block or so away from the old wooden building where she attended school. “I went there from the first grade to the sixth grade,” says McCants. “It was wonderful. Wonderful. The only thing I didn’t like, we lived up that railroad track, and when it got cold we had to walk from up there. The teachers took care of us, and tried to warm us up the best they could. I remember one teacher. We called him Professor Gray. And Lillian Harris, she was one of the teachers. It was very important. That was the only livelihood we had. The school would have programs, different kinds of activities. It was the center of Addor.” The Lincoln School was decommissioned in 1949 and became the Addor Community Center in 1952. By 2006, at the end of a series of renovations spanning decades, the building was a fully functional center with computers, a library and a kitchen. It was rental space for family reunions or worship services if one of the local churches couldn’t get its doors open. McCants did stints at different times as both the president and the treasurer of the community center. “I worked there for I don’t know how long,” she says. “It was just my passion to help the community. I loved it.” John Bright, who grew up in Addor and lives in Aberdeen, is the current treasurer of the Community Center Board. “It kind of came into disarray in 2008,” says Bright of the building, “and 2010 is when the center began to decline. There was no board

then. It had a leak and it started to decay. In 2015 we had the community come together, and a new board was formed. Once we took it on, we saw we were facing something that was very challenging. We haven’t given up. Any way we can have an opportunity to try to sustain something for the Addor community, that’s what we want to do. I still believe there’s hope.” By Bright’s calculations, roughly 60 percent of the homes in Addor don’t have access to city water or sewer. “The Southern Pines water facility is right there adjacent to Addor, right across U.S. 1. On the other end by the Poplar Springs Church is the Moore County sewer facility,” says Bright. “Why can’t we finish Addor out? The word says what you have done unto the least of my brothers you have done unto me, and Addor has been the least of these for a long time. We’re just trying to find a way, by the grace of God.” Maybe that old wooden building, its cornices out of square, with the fireplaces for warmth and huge windows for light, “set with the points of the compass,” will somehow, almost miraculously, survive as an intact example of a Rosenwald Four Teacher Community School Floor Plan No. 400. “It would be wonderful if we could get it restored,” says Bright. “But the issue is, what can we do for the children and youth who are there now? Do they have 10 or 15 years to wait on the restoration of a building? What are you going to do for them in the meantime? Addor has a rich history and proud people, but the current state of Addor is not what its citizens want.” There were 813 Rosenwald schools built in North Carolina, more than in any other state. “The way the educators and the families worked together to really push the students to a higher level of excellence, even though the schools were under-resourced, made a huge impact on North Carolina,” says Stack. “That motto of Winston-Salem State University — Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve — I’ve heard that with slight variations many times from people who attended the schools. That was really the ethic. They bettered their communities because of their experience in those small schools of that era built in black communities.” It’s a melancholy thing when a bit of history falls into ruin, sadder yet when all that rises in its place is the faintest glimmer of hope. PS Jim Moriarty is the senior editor of PineStraw and can be reached at jjmpinestraw@ gmail.com.

Desserts We Love

By Jenna Biter Photography By John Koob Gessner

omehow, the riotous and violent Roman festival of Lupercalia, meant to dispel evil spirits and bring fertility and purity to the city, commingled with the beheading of one or more St. Valentines and evolved into our modern celebration of romance – Valentine’s Day. The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer mentions birds mating in February one time, and, voilà, a celebration of affection and adoration is born. Or something like that. Regardless of its possibly disturbing and definitely mysterious origins, the lovey-dovey holiday’s current state is as crystal clear as the Swarovski necklace she probably wants. It’s all about reds and pinks, flowers and dinner dates, friendship and romance, and, of course, chocolates, desserts — and chocolate desserts. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a drool-worthy list of Valentine’s Day-approved confections from restaurants and bakeries in the Sandhills. Whether you’re a two-weeks-in-advance reservation maker or a last-minute “oh-damn” shopper, we have sweets for you and your other half. Or just you.

Ashten’s Restaurant Pastry Chef: Zarah Wetmore

“I was the kid that wanted the Easy Bake Oven, but my mom and dad said, ‘No, use the real oven,’” says Zarah Wetmore of her baking roots. “I never got a light bulb oven.” And that might be why Wetmore is baking desserts as the pastry chef at Ashten’s Restaurant, and we’re not. Her Valentine’s Day dessert is a sophisticated and romantic take — a pink Champagne and St. Germain (an elderflower liqueur) cake finished in Swiss meringue buttercream that’s flavored with the floral liqueur, as well. It’s a lovely pink color inside, and the cake is garnished with a bit of molecular gastronomy — strawberry caviar. Fun fact: Fruit caviar has nothing to do with fish roe, but it is made with agar-agar, a gelatinous substance that comes from red seaweed. Boil fruit juice with agar-agar, then eye-drop the mixture into oil, where it beads into “caviar.” Who knew Valentine’s Day can be romantic and a learning experience? And, most importantly, delectable. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 2020

C.Cups Cupcakery

Owner and Baker: Janell Canino

“I feel like for Valentine’s Day people do a lot of chocolate, and chocolate-covered strawberries are popular,” says owner and baker of C.Cup’s Cupcakery Janell Canino on the inspiration for her celebratory dessert. Allegedly making their debut in 1960s Chicago, chocolate-covered strawberries definitely are a Valentine’s Day favorite, and the combination of chocolate and strawberries makes sense for a romantic holiday — both foods are thought to be aphrodisiacs — even if the scientific community isn’t sold on their efficacy. Lucky for us, we can enjoy this festive combination (amorous powers or not) at C.Cups atop its cheesecake cupcake. “Our cheesecakes are extremely popular, so I figured I’d do a little twist on the cheesecake and do a chocolate truffle,” Canino explains. Her ultimate creation for the lover’s holiday is a chocolate truffle cheesecake cupcake finished with a chocolate whipped topping, chocolate shavings and a chocolate-covered strawberry. It’s a chocolate lover’s dream.

The Ice Cream Parlor Confectioner: Dixie Parks

The story of the cherry cordial, a confection with a liquid cherry center and chocolate shell, starts with medicinal tonics in the 1400s and continues today with the candy’s popularity during winter holidays and, of course, Valentine’s Day. “My grandfather loved them, and he would hide them in a box when he got them and stow them away, so he wouldn’t have to share,” says Dixie Parks of The Ice Cream Parlor. The mass-manufacture of the cherry candy began in the late 1800s and, by the 20th century, it sparked a fondness for “stashing away” the sweet not unlike Parks’ grandfather. Nostalgia for the candy remains today, and we’re happy it does, because Parks highlights the confection in her spectacular holiday ice cream — chocolate cherry cordial. It’s a chocolate and cherry cordial base with chunks of chocolate-covered cherries and chocolate shavings mixed in. “We tried to do a more sophisticated blend,” says Parks of her Valentine’s Day treat. We think she hit the mark, and, no, you don’t have to share.

Meat and Greek Eatery Owners: Oresti and Brittany Arsi

Baklava, popular in the historic Levant, is a staple of Greek cuisine. “We do it a little bit different than a traditional Greek baklava,” says owner of Meat and Greek Eatery Oresti Arsi. The local restaurant’s recipe for the classic is layered with phyllo dough, brown sugar, a syrup with a complex formula, and a nut mixture of walnut, pistachio and thyme honey that’s imported from Greece. Then, it’s cut into a heart shape and served with a syrup drizzle for romantic flair. Order it to taste Arsi’s twist on this classic, or just to enjoy good baklava. More of a chocolate fan? Opt for Meat and Greek’s other celebratory dessert instead (page 72). It’s a dome layered with cake and chocolate mousse, and covered in a shimmery golden shell, courtesy of Arsi’s cousin, who runs Yia Yia’s Bakery in Baltimore. “We love how it’s sparkly,” says Oresti. And so will she.

The Carolina Dining Room at The Carolina Hotel Executive Pastry Chef: Shelly Taylor

The Carolina Dining Room’s Shelly Taylor began her pastry career in Scottsdale, Arizona, before it took her to the kitchens of Pebble Beach, California, and Maui, Hawaii. The next stop on her baking trajectory brought her back to the continental U.S. to our very own Pinehurst, and that’s great news for your Valentine’s Day plans. Taylor is showcasing a milk chocolate mousse dipped in a chocolate hazelnut crunch, and it’s accompanied by a flourless chocolate cake, salted caramel, fresh raspberries, vanilla Chantilly whipped cream and a beautiful chocolate curl. It’s everything you want in a date-night dessert — sophisticated flavors, chocolate and more chocolate all served to you in the crystal-chandeliered dining room of The Carolina Hotel. “We’ve been here for five-and-a-half years, and I love it,” Taylor said of her time in the area. “I don’t think we plan on moving anytime soon.” With desserts like this, we hope not.

L ynette’s Bakery and Café Owner and Baker: Lynette Bofill

If you love, hate or don’t care about Valentine’s Day, Lynette Bofill of her eponymous bakery and café has you covered. Her smorgasbord of festive treats is sure to satisfy everyone from love and friendship fanatics to holiday curmudgeons. Heart-shaped sugar cookies finished with vanilla icing and buttercream writing boast traditional mushy gush like “XOXO” or “I Love You,” and anti-holiday wit like “I Tolerate You” or “Stupid Cupid.” Bofill laughs. “I have some friends who hate Valentine’s.” Well, these satirical cookies will certainly please them. She also has M&M brownies with multicolor candies for friends, red and pink candies for lovers, and plain brownies for people who just want a brownie. And her 6-box of cupcakes? It’s for anyone who likes delicious. The sextuplet features strawberry champagne, dark chocolate raspberry injected with jam, honey graham, red and pink confetti, triple chocolate, and red velvet with cream cheese frosting. Yes, please.

Thyme and Place Café Dessert Chef: Jari Miller

“We come from an area with a large Italian influence,” says Thyme and Place Café’s Jari Miller of her time in Syracuse, New York. But she doesn’t notice that influence much in the Sandhills, and she’s trying to establish it here via Italian desserts. “At Christmastime we did Italian cookies, which were a huge thing for us when we were in Syracuse,” Miller gushes. “We shipped 3,000 pounds all over America every Christmas.” Fast-forward to the present, and Miller’s Valentine’s Day confection for Thyme and Place is, you guessed it, Italian. It’s a cannoli cake iced in buttercream and topped with traditional pistachio and chocolate chip cannoli, maraschino cherries, a chocolate ganache drizzle and red heart decorations to set the mood. The inside is equally as mouthwatering — two layers of moist vanilla cake with the bottom layer hollowed out and filled with cannoli cream. Yum. If Italian desserts are all this good, we’re on board. PS Jenna Biter is a fashion designer, entrepreneur and military wife in the Sandhills. She can be reached at jenna.l.knouse@gmail.com. PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . February 2020

Cabin Fever Living high on the log By Deborah Salomon Photography By John Koob Gessner

be Lincoln never slept here. More likely Ralph Lauren, Tom Cruise, Oprah, Clint Eastwood — all of whom own palatial log homes. Yet Les Holden’s modest but well-appointed cabin retains that rough-hewn aura conveyed by colors, surfaces and memorabilia. Since it’s not a kit cabin, the layout can be unpredictable. Furthermore, manicured grass, tall hollies and a bubbling fountain overlooking Hyland Golf Club elevate this cabin over the Shaw House compound or anything attributed to Malcolm Blue. Sealing the deal, the five-bay garage/workshop shelters five Brass Era (circa 1900) cars Holden has restored to drivable glory. Like King Tut’s sarcophagus, they are historic objects d’art enhanced by his knowledge of their provenance and mechanics. Holden lovingly strokes the bumper of one, then gestures toward the cabin: “This (car) is more valuable than my whole property.”

olden caught cabin fever growing up in frigid North Dakota, where his father was a ranch manager, then a feed salesman. He pulls out a black and white photo taken of his family, mid-1950s, in front of a hardscrabble log dwelling as unrelated to his own as Willie Nelson is to Perry Como. Before that, they lived in what Holden calls a “basement house on the poor side of the tracks.” The log cabin had been abandoned. Yet Holden remembers being happy there, especially at Christmas, when a freshly cut tree was illuminated by real candles. Holden discovered Moore County in the 1970s while serving in the 82nd Airborne Division. “I married the ‘farmer’s daughter’ at Fort Bragg.” After discharge he did well in real estate and mortgage lending, soon establishing his own company and bringing up a family in a large, formal residence. “We used to drive to Pinehurst often in the late ’80s. You could see the cabin clearly (from U.S. 1).” Intrigued by the elongated garage, he stopped. “I’ve admired your cabin for a long time. Is it a kit?” he asked the owner. No. The pine logs cut from this very lot are joined with 3000 PSI (pressure per square inch) concrete. Interior/exterior wall maintenance is minimal, although retrofitting for wiring and ductwork, if necessary, can be challenging. The floorplan was tight but sufficient. They spoke for a while; coincidentally, the owner was planning to sell. Holden had vowed to retire at 39. The modest size (just under 1,800 square feet) was perfect, since his daughters were grown. He struck a deal with the owner in 1993. The Holdens would sell their fancy furniture, prowl for country antiques, landscape the grounds (including a tall privacy hedge), and adopt a more relaxed lifestyle. On the day Holden retired, his wife was diagnosed with a brain tumor. “I lost my ambition for making money. There were other things I wanted to do with my life, including taking care of my wife.” She died soon after. Holden eventually married a family friend, who died of cancer in 2019. His log cabin houses memories of both — a showplace minus the glitter. Instead, his concept uses forest hues and materials: A brick fireplace was replaced by stone. Tree bark was cut, flattened and fitted as paneling and window valances. Faux-painted walls also resemble bark. An antler chandelier joins mounted bear and mule deer heads. Colors throughout blend browns with greens, an occasional deep red against leather upholstery. Antique wooden ice boxes and kitchen “safes” arrived via grandparents. Patterned rugs brighten the knotty pine floorboards.

xcept for the upstairs master suite with pale wall-to-wall carpet and unobstructed windows, the house is dark, a result of first-floor windows opening onto a covered porch across the front and a screened porch at the rear, both done in rocking chairs and Amish twig furnishings. Holden installed skylights in the kitchen’s vaulted ceiling, all the better to illuminate this unusual room, which combines distressed painted wood cabinetry with an electromagnetic cooktop that creates heat inside metal pots. The island is built from architectural salvage components. Italian granite countertops add an unusual wavy design in gray-green. A massive schoolmaster’s desk fills one corner. Holden is proud of finding matching antique Windsor stick-back chairs, painted black, for the long table within the kitchen dining area. One risky departure from the cabin motif: a contemporary staircase installed against a wall, with no railing on the open side. Holden seems most pleased with details, the small artifacts serving as wall decor, like a spice rack with tiny drawers. Or a child’s sleigh from Vermont. Or a portrait of somebody’s grumpy ancestor, whose eyes seem to follow the beholder. His high-tech thermostat hides behind a weathered mailbox. A flintlock rifle circa 1820 hangs over a door, and a framed Confederate war bond occupies the stairwell.

“W

hat do you think this is?” From the aubergine walls of his upstairs office hang framed documents dated 1773 concerning property deeds and mortgage transactions bearing X signatures, also a painting he purchased at Harrods, the London emporium catering to royalty. Early American life is represented by “possibles” bags hanging from a hall tree — utility cross-body carry-alls used by hunters and frontiersmen, which could, possibly, contain anything. “I tried to keep (the cabin) as authentic as I could.” Otherwise, Holden filled in with reproductions from North Carolina artist/designer Bob Timberlake’s furniture collection.

othing in this highly personal cabin even comes close to what awaits in the garage, which was a major selling point for Holden. He enlarged it to 1,900 square feet, larger than the cabin, installed heat and AC but, as yet, no plumbing. Obviously, the garage is his happy place — a spotless showroom, what the Louvre is to Mona Lisa. Holden is a familiar name among this rarified group of collectors. His 1904 Cadillac touring car took first prize in the Brass Era (1895-1915) category at the 2013 Concours d’Elegance in Pinehurst. This and his other four open cars (one seats seven) defy description, particularly since he restored the motors and bodies himself. Occasionally, he’ll take one for a spin around Southern Pines. Imagine the reaction. As for the cabin, after living there for 27 years, Holden still calls it a work in progress. “It’s like living in a vacation home,” he says, then relates this anecdote, with pride: Some time ago, the cabin was on a home tour. Since homeowners must disappear for the day, Holden chose to peruse other participants. “I overheard two women discussing the elaborate houses they had already visited.” “Just wait until you see the cabin!” one exclaimed. The difference? It’s different. PS

14 Annual

T H E P E N I C K V I L L A G E F O U N D AT I O N

Art Show & Sale

All proceeds benefit the Penick Village Benevolent Assistance Fund.

OPENING NIGHT PARTY

JUGTOWN POTTERY

Silent & Live Auction / Black Tie Optional

February 28 Friday / 6:30 P.M.

PAM OWEN VERNON OWEN TRAVIS OWEN BAYLE OWEN BOBBY OWEN JENNIE KEATTS

The Village House at Penick Village Tickets: $85 (one ) $150 (two) $90 at the door • AN EVENING OF ART, MUSIC, WINE, HOSPITALITY AND GIVING

W E E K E N D A RT SHOW HOURS (free and open to the public)

Tickets / Information call 910.692.0353

February 29 & March 1 Saturday 11a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday Noon - 3 p.m.

Our featured painter this year is Fay Terry.

Homestyles

Whether you need a few things to revamp a room or a complete overhaul, One Eleven Main can help!

the

ANTIQUES of

Cameron

le WinMtaerchr7f,e2s02t0 S• 1a0am-5pm

Saturday,

• Accessories • Artwork • Furniture • Lamps • Rugs

Landscape Design, Installation and Maintenance Irrigation Landscape Lighting Landscape Renovation Water Features & Koi Ponds Meditation & Healing Gardens And more… Visit our website for a full list of services:

www.pinescapes.com

710 S Bennett St • Southern Pines Tuesday - Saturday 10 to 5:30 910-725-0975 www.one11main.com

Coffee, Shopping & Lunch All in the Historic Village of Cameron Off Hwy 1 Between Sanford & Southern Pines on Hwy 24/27

910.245.3020

www.antiquesofcameron.com

910-315-6051 Barry Hartney

Horticulturist N.C. Certified Landscape Contractor “The finest in quality landscape in the Sandhills for 21 years”

A L M A N A C

February n

By Ash Alder

ebruary blossoms make the cold hard to shake. Crocus burst open like paper fortune tellers, hellebores whisper prophesies of spring, and in the backyard, where a speckled bird is kicking up fresh mulch, winter Daphne blushes like brighteyed maidens in faded terra-cotta planters. All of this, yet winter feels deep-rooted, endless. As if her flowers were cruel illusion. As if your bones could be forever yoked to this chill. Then one day, out of nowhere, a new warmth arrives with the daffodils, a new softness beckoning you outdoors. Beneath the bare-branched sycamore, where the picnic table has all but forgotten its name, February sunshine feels like a warm bath. You’ve brought lunch — a thermos of soup — and as the sunbeams dance across your face and skin, you feel, for the first time in months, as open as the crocus. As if winter might release you. As if hellebores were true harbingers of spring. Beside your thermos, a feathery caterpillar edges toward you. Did it fall from the sky? You look up toward bare branches, wonder where he came from, where he’s going, whether he’ll be the speckled bird’s lunch. He’s closer now, gliding across your idle spoon, and as you observe his wispy yellow coat, you see yourself in this tiny being and in what he might become: Enamored by each fragrant blossom; wide open; ever-seeking the simple grace of light. February sunshine has transformed us, encoding within us the promise of spring. We can feel it now.

The Lenten Rose

When a plant blooms in the dead of winter, it is neither ordinary nor meek. That plant is a pioneer. Also called the “Lenten rose”, the hellebore is a beloved and shade-tolerant herbaceous or evergreen perennial — not a rose — that so happens to thrive here. Some species more than others. Take, for example, the bear claw hellebore, which is named for its deeply cut “weeping” leaves. February through April, this herbaceous perennial displays chartreuse green flowers that the deer won’t touch, and you shouldn’t either (read: toxic when ingested). As the flowers mature, the petal edges blush a soft, pale ruby. Talk about subtle beauty, but more for the eyes than for the nose (its crushed leaves are what give it the nickname “stinking hellebore”). On behalf of every flower-loving soul aching in their bones for the coming spring, thank you, hellebore. You’re a true queen.

Full Snow Moon

The Full Snow Moon will rise at night on Feb. 8, peaking in the earliest hour of the morning on Feb. 9. Also called the Bone Moon, this supermoon (the

I know him, February’s thrush, And loud at eve he valentines On sprays that paw the naked bush Where soon will sprout the thorns and bines. — George Meredith, “The Thrush in February,” 1885 closest the moon can come to Earth in its orbit) marks a time of heavy snowfall and, in earlier times, little food. If you’re warm and full-bellied, this moon is a good one to share the wealth.

Warm Your Bones

This month in the garden, sow beet, mustard and turnip seeds. Plant your spring salad (loose leaf lettuce, arugula, spinach, carrots, radish, cilantro). But while it’s cold out, soup! The following recipe from DamnDelicious.net is a quickie — all the better for soaking up more February sunshine while the spring garden grows.

Spinach and White Bean Soup Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 onion, diced 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 4 cups vegetable stock 2 bay leaves 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta 2 cups baby spinach 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed Juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in thyme and basil until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in vegetable stock, bay leaves and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Stir in orzo; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10–12 minutes. Stir in spinach and cannellini beans until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately. PS

Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle . . . a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream. — Barbara Winkler

Arts Entertainment C A L E N DA R

Met Opera: Porgy and Bess

Although conscientious effort is made to provide accurate and up-to-date information, all events are subject to change and errors can occur! Please call to verify times, costs, status and location before planning or attending an event. BOOKWORMS BOOKCLUB. Are you in grade K–5 and want to join a book club? Find the Bookworms display in the library to take home the book of the month, pick up your discussion questions and grab some activities. When you have finished reading the book, fill out the book review to post on the library’s wall. This month’s book is The Secret Garden. Can’t read yet? Read along with a grown-up. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235. BOOK SALES. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Monday–Saturday. Monthly sale — women authors (novels and mysteries) are buy one, get one free, some exclusions apply. Given Book Shop, 95 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 585-4820 or 295-7002. JOY OF ART STUDIO. Winter Arts. Drawing and painting, home school ancient history through art, studio day for teens, fiber arts and sewing, mixed media private teaching all ages, Anime illustration, and book group for women. Joy of Abstracting workshop and fashion illustration runs through March. Classes are held at Joy of Art Studio, 139 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Suite B, Southern Pines. For a complete list of events this month call (910) 528-7283 or visit www. joyof-art.com or www.facebook.com/Joyscreativespace/.

Saturday, February 1

KIDS PROGRAM. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Bring your child to the

Art Class: Oils for Beginners

library and feed their imagination with books, arts, crafts and fun. Bring a friend and sign up for a free library card. This event is free and open to the public. Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.giventufts.org. THE ROOSTER’S WIFE. 12:46 and 6:46 p.m. Kruger Brothers. Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.org. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com. MET OPERA. 1 p.m. Porgy and Bess. Tickets are $27. Sunrise Theater, 244 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3611 or www.sunrisetheater.com. THEATER. 2 p.m. Cape Fear Regional Theatre will be presenting Shrek The Musical. Performances run through Feb. 16 and times and tickets can be found on the website. Cape Fear Regional Theatre, 1209 Hay St., Fayetteville. Info: www.cfrt.org/project/shrek-the-musical/. AIMS FUNDRAISER. 3 - 5 p.m. The Authors in Moore Schools is having their second annual fundraiser to continue providing author visits and signed copies of books at no cost to elementary and middle school students in Moore County. Triangle Wine Company, 144 Brucewood Road, Southern Pines. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com. GALLERY SHOW. UNC Pembroke faculty, Margie Labadie and John Labadie, with digital and mixed media works. The exhibit will remain open through Feb. 20. Hasting Gallery at Boyd Library, Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst.

Valentine’s Day Lunch

Sunday, February 2

CLASSICAL MUSIC SUNDAYS. 2 - 4 p.m. Enjoy the sounds of the Lyricosa Quartet in the Weymouth Chamber Music Series. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261 or www.weymouthcenter.org. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com. JUNIOR RANGER. 3 p.m. Learn how to become a junior ranger with N.C. Parks. Free and open to the public. Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www. ncparks.gov. WRITING GROUP. 3 p.m. Interested in creating fiction, nonfiction, poetry or comics? Connect with other writers and artists, chat about your craft and get feedback on your work. All levels are welcome. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 6928235 or www.sppl.net. CLASSIC FILM. 4 p.m. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. Tickets are $8. Sunrise Theater, 244 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3611 or www.sunrisetheater.com. FILM. 7 - 9 p.m. In Search of Mozart. Cameo Art House Theatre, 225 Hay St., Fayetteville. Info and tickets: www. ticketmesandhills.com.

Monday, February 3

ART CLASS. 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. Linda Bruening will be teaching an introduction to oils for beginners. The class runs through Feb. 4. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129

CA L E N DA R

Wildings Program: Solar System

Winter Schooling Day

Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www. artisleague.org.

Tuesday, February 4

ADULT STORYTIME. 12 p.m. Take a break from your day and join us for a story time designed for adults. Bring your lunch and be transported with short stories. Audrey Moriarty will read some of her favorites. This event is free and open to the public. Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: www. giventufts.org. ART CLASS. 1 - 4 p.m. Join instructor Ellen Burke for a class on basic and intermediate watercolor techniques. The class also meets Feb. 11, 18 and 25. Cost is $175, including materials. Serendipity Art Studios, 110 N. Poplar St., Aberdeen. Info: (603) 966-6567 or exploringartellen3@ gmail.com. TRIVIA TOURNAMENT. 6:30 - 8 p.m. This year’s trivia

tournament will be for Game of Thrones lovers. The tournament will be on Feb. 4 and 11 with a grand finale on Feb. 18. The Sly Fox Pub, 795 S.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.theslyfoxpub.com.

Wednesday, February 5

ART CLASS. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Laureen Kirk will be teaching how to draw animals. The class runs through Feb. 6. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artisleague.org. TUTOR TRAINING. 2 - 3:30 p.m. Become a tutor for the Moore County Literacy Council. There are four sessions for training on Feb. 11, 13, 18 and 20. Read Moore Center, 575 S.E. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-5954 or email terry@mcliteracy.org. GLOBAL TASTES. 6 - 9 p.m. Follow the Eastern Spice Trail with four courses and a wine pairing. The courses will be tastes from Sri Lanka. Limited seating. Tickets required.

Musicians Jam Session

Cost: $32. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Road, Suite A, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 215-0775 or www.elliottsonlinden.com.

Thursday, February 6

EXPLORING ART. 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Join instructor Ellen Burke for a class on drawing and acrylic painting on canvas. The class also meets Feb. 13, 20 and 27. Serendipity Art Studios, 110 N. Poplar St., Aberdeen. Info: (603) 966-6567 or exploringartellen3@gmail.com. READ-IN. 5 p.m. The Southern Pines Public Library and Moore County Schools will participate in the National African-American Read-In to celebrate Black History Month. Light refreshments at 5 p.m. and readings will begin at 5:30 p.m. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. CUPID'S CRAWL. 4 - 7:30 p.m. Sip, snack and shop through the Southern Pines downtown businesses as they

•

CA L E N DA R gear up for Valentine's Day. Info: mariemarcele@gmail.com. RUTH PAULEY LECTURE SERIES. 7:30 p.m. Mark Anderson will present “Conserving the Southeast’s Amazing Natural Resources in an Era of Climate Change.” Bradshaw Performing Arts Center, Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Road, Southern Pines. Info: www. ruthpauley.org.

Friday, February 7

POTLUCK LUNCHEON. 12 p.m. Seniors 55 and older can participate in a free potluck lunch. Bring a small dish and enjoy great food and fellowship. Ten games of bingo will follow the lunch with prizes for winners. Cost: $2 for Southern Pines rResidents; $4 non-residents. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376 or www.southernpines.net/136/ Recreation-Parks. ART RECEPTION. 4 - 6 p.m. The gallery show will feature the artwork of adults who have taken classes or workshops during the past two years. The exhibit continues through Feb. 27. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artisleague.org. ART EXHIBIT. 6 - 8 p.m. View the art exhibit featuring paintings by Karin Neuvirth and ceramics by Doreen Jakob. The exhibit will be open through Feb. 28. Campbell House Galleries, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2787 or www.mooreart.org. LIVE PLAY. 7:30 p.m. Watch professional actors and community members bring the play, Almost, Maine to life. There will be other performances on Feb. 8, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. and February 9 and 16 at 2 p.m. Encore Center, 160 E. New Hampshire Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 725-0603 or www.encorecenter.net.

Saturday, February 8

STEAM. 11 a.m. Craft tables will be out all day. At 11 a.m. join the library staff for Coffee Filter Art. This program is for children kindergarten through fifth grade. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. CHOCOLATE AND WINE WALK. 4 - 8 p.m. Sample your way through the village of Pinehurst with chocolate everything. Each tasting location will feature a sample of food or chocolate. Tickets are $35 per person. Info: (910) 687-0377 or www.InsidePinehurst.com. FEBRUARY DANCE. 6:30 p.m. Join us for an evening of dancing at the Elks Lodge. Free dance lesson at 7 p.m. Dance until 9:30 p.m. Admission is $10 and $8 for USA Dance Members. Carolina Pines Chapter of USA Dance. Southern Pines Elks Lodge, 280 Country Club Circle, Southern Pines. Info: (724) 816-1170. CONCERT. 7 p.m. The Fine Arts Department at Sandhills Community College presents Quaternaglia (Brazilian guitar quartet). Admission is free. Bradshaw Performing Arts Center, Owens Auditorium, Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.quaternaglia.com.br/press-kit/.

Sunday, February 9

ADULT EXPLORATIONS. 3 p.m. The library will host a session on vision boarding. Supplies will be provided, just bring your ideas. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. BEAVER HABITAT HIKE. 3 p.m. Enjoy a 1.5-mile hike to find out what North America's largest rodents are up to at Weymouth Woods. Be prepared to hike off the beaten path

THE ROOSTER’S WIFE. 6:46 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Hiroya Tsukamoto and Walter Parks. Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www. theroosterswife.org. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Monday, February 10

ART CLASS. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Jean Smyth will be teaching a class to hone your watercolor skills. The class continues on Feb. 17 and 24 and March 2. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 9443979 or www.artisleague.org. PHOTO CLUB MEETING. 7 p.m. The Sandhills Photography Club will be meeting at The O’Neil School, Activity Center Theater, 3300 Airport Road, Southern Pines. Info: www.sandhillsphotoclub.org.

Tuesday, February 11

ART CLASS. 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Linda Bruening will be teaching next step oils for beginners. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 9443979 or www.artisleague.org. VALENTINE’S DAY LUNCH. 10:15 a.m. Seniors 55 and older can join Southern Pines Recreation and Parks for a Valentine’s Day lunch followed by a movie at the local theater. Bring money for the lunch and movie. Cost: $4 for Southern Pines residents; $8 for non-residents. Bus will depart at 10:15 a.m. from the Campbell House Playground parking lot and return by 5 p.m. Campbell House Playground, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

Paul E. Gauthier D.D.S.

IT'S IT'S TAX TAX TIME! TIME!

Dedicated to continuing the tradition of Family Dentistry

LET LET THE THE GENERATOR GENERATOR GUYS GUYS PUT PUT YOUR YOUR REFUND REFUND TO TO GOOD GOOD USE. USE.

Mid-State Furniture of Carthage

POWER UP

FREE IN-HOME ASSESSMENTS Specializing In Whole Home Standby Generators

910-241-4752 GeneracNC.com Lic#32340

to get up close to the active beaver dam. Free and open to the public. Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www.ncparks.gov.

403 Monroe St. Downtown Carthage

910-947-3739

Participating Doctor for Delta Dental Medicare Advantage Our office has been serving the Sandhills since 1947

Southern Pines Family Dentistry

655 SW Broad St Southern Pines 692-6500

CA L E N DA R AUTHOR EVENT. 5:30 p.m. The Sandhills Woman’s Exchange, in conjunction with the Given Book Shop, will host WRAL’s Scott Mason, the “Tar Heel Traveler,” to talk about his new book. Cost is $25. Sandhills Woman’s Exchange, 15 Azalea Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-4677 or www.sandhillswe.org. MIXOLOGY AND CHOCOLATE. 6 - 7 p.m. Watch Jordan showcase his bartending skills while savoring each beverage paired with a unique bite. Cost: $25. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Road, Suite A, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 215-0775 or www.elliottsonlinden.com.

Wednesday, February 12

BABIES, SONGS AND READ ALONGS. 9:45 - 10:15 a.m. Join us for a new library program for ages 0 - 3. We will combine simple stories, music and movement to engage and entertain the little bookworms. Limited seating. First come, first served. Free and open to the public. Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.giventufts.org. ART CLASS. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sandy Stratil will be teaching a workshop introducing students to collage using tissue paper, objects and photo transfers. The class runs through Feb. 13. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artisleague.org. BOOK EVENT. 5 p.m. A Woman is No Man, by Etaf Rum. The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.thecountrybookshop.biz.

Thursday, February 13

MEET THE ARTIST. 11:30 a.m. Join Ellen Burke for a meet the artist event for children ages 5 - 8. Cost is $45, including all materials. Serendipity Art Studios, 110 N. Poplar St., Aberdeen. Info: (603) 966-6567 or exploringartellen3@ gmail.com. DOCUMENTARY FILM. 1 p.m. 63 Up. Tickets are $10. Sunrise Theater, 244 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3611 or www.sunrisetheater.com. GATHERING AT GIVEN. 3:30 p.m. It is American Heart Month and experts will tell us what to do to keep our hearts healthy. This event is free and open to the public. Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.giventufts.org. READ BETWEEN THE PINES. 5:30 p.m. Join the Southern Pines Public Library’s newest book club for adults to discuss amazing books. This month’s book is A Land More Kind Than Home, by Wiley Cash. Southern Pines Fire Station #2, intersection of Waynor Road and N.C. 22, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. THE ROOSTER’S WIFE. 6:46 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Open mic night. Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.org. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Friday, February 14

MARVELOUS MAMMALS. 10 a.m. What do squirrels, deer and bobcats all have in common? Find out as we learn what makes a mammal a mammal and which ones live here in the Sandhills. We’ll read a book, play games, and make a craft. Geared toward 3 – 5-year-olds to do with their parents. Free and open to the public. Weymouth WoodsSandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www.ncparks.gov. ART CLASS. 12:30 - 3:30 p.m. Pam Griner will be teaching a class to expand your knowledge of alcohol ink. For intermediate artists. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www. artisleague.org. VALENTINE’S DINNER. A three-course dinner with a

Discover rockingham

free glass of bubbly. Cost is $45. The Sly Fox Pub, 795 S.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.theslyfoxpub.com. THE ROOSTER’S WIFE. 6:46 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Shakedown Valentine’s Dance. Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www. theroosterswife.org. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Saturday, February 15

CHILDREN’S PROGRAM. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Join this month’s program where the theme is “An African Safari.” For children of all ages with a parent or guardian. Boyd Library, Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. RSVP to: konoldm@sandhills.edu. EQUESTRIAN EVENT. Pipe Opener II. CT: Green as Grass Advanced. Any dressage of choice. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford. Info: (910) 875-2074. WILDINGS PROGRAM. 10 a.m. Bring your kids ages 6 – 10-years-old as we boldly go across the planets creating a half-mile long scale replica of our solar system. Free and open to the public. Weymouth Woods Visitor Center, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www.ncparks.gov. HEART ‘N SOUL OF JAZZ. 8 - 10:30 p.m. Enjoy the annual concert featuring world class jazz musicians held by the Arts Council of Moore County. Grammy nominated jazz vocalist Jazzmeia Horn will perform. Cardinal Ballroom at Pinehurst Resort, 80 Carolina Vista Drive, Pinehurst. Info: www.mooreart.org. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Sunday, February 16

ENGLISH CARVERY. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Enjoy a carvery of our traditional Sunday roast. Cost: $21.95. The Sly Fox Pub, 795 S.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www. theslyfoxpub.com.

Love is in the Air! YOUR LOCAL SIMPLY NOELLE BOUTIQUE!

(910) 434-7150

1305 East Broad Ave Suite 7 | Rockingham, NC 28379 Mon - Fri 10am - 6pm | Sat - 10am - 2pm

LECTURE SERIES. 2 - 3 p.m. Speaker Kevin Duffus lectures about the “History of Cape Fear.” This is part two of a three-part series. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261. Info: www. weymouthcenter.org. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com. FAMILY TALES. 3 p.m. Children ages 3 through third grade and their families can enjoy stories and activities that foster a love of books and reading as well as social-emotional development. Capacity is limited to 25 children and their caregivers per session, and check-in with a valid Southern Pines Public Library card is required. Southern Pines Fire Station #2, intersection of Waynor Road and N.C. 22, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. BASIC ORIENTEERING. 3 p.m. Join a ranger to learn the basics of finding your way with a compass. Courses will be off-trail. Long pants and closed-toe shoes are recommended. Free and open to the public. Weymouth Woods Visitor Center, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www.ncparks.gov. STORYTELLING. 4 p.m. Storyteller Mitch Capel traces the journey of African-Americans through plantation life, the Civil War and being recognized and treated with basic human rights. Tickets are $10 and $15 for VIP. Sunrise Theater, 244 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3611 or www.sunrisetheater.com. THE ROOSTER’S WIFE. 6:46 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Gessner and Murphy. Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.org. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Monday, February 17

WOMEN OF WEYMOUTH. 9:30 - 12 p.m. The monthly business meeting will begin at 10 a.m. followed by speaker Jesse Wimberley, Sandhills Area Land Trust, Landowner Outreach and PBA (prescribed burn association) coordina-

Featuring: Brighton • Tribal • Corky’s • Hatley Gretchen Scott • Lulu-B • Bogg Bag Simply Noelle • Hello Mello • TY Flippables

Find the chic gift your

VALENTINE DESERVES LOCATED DOWNTOWN 302 East Washington St | Rockingham, NC 28379 (910) 817-7494 www.simplychiconline.shop Hours: Tues-Fri 10:00-5:30 | Sat 10:00-1:00

CA L E N DA R the restaurants in the mall. Cost: $7 for Southern Pines residents; $14 for non-residents. Bus will depart at 9 a.m. from the Campbell House Playground parking lot and return by 3:30 p.m. Campbell House Playground, 482 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

tor. Free and open to the public. Weymouth Center, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261. Info: www.weymouthcenter.org.

Tuesday, February 18

ART CLASS. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Harry Neely will be teaching about painting Southern landscapes. For intermediate artists. The class runs through Feb. 19. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 9443979 or www.artisleague.org.

WINE DINNER. 6:15 p.m. We are having a casual dinner, pouring three mystery wines while serving a family-style dinner at a community table. Limited seating. Tickets required. Cost: $39. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Road, Suite A, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 215-0775 or www.elliottsonlinden.com.

LEAGUE MEETING. 11:30 a.m. The League of Women Voters of Moore County will have a meeting, program and luncheon. Cost is $20. Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club, 1010 Midland Road, Southern Pines. Info and RSVP: charlotteagallagher@gmail.com.

Thursday, February 20

EQUESTRIAN EVENT. 10 a.m. Winter Schooling Day. Dressage, Hunter Ring and Jumper Ring schooling. Carolina Horse Park, 2814 Montrose Road, Raeford. Info: (910) 875-2074.

BOOK EVENT. 12 p.m. The Other Mrs., by Mary Kubica. The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.thecountrybookshop.biz.

BOOK CLUB MEETING. 10:30 a.m. The Douglass Center Book Club will meet for discussion. Books can be picked up at the library. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net.

JAMES BOYD BOOK CLUB. 2 p.m. This month’s book is The Guardian, by Nicholas Sparks. Free and open to the public. Weymouth Center for Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261 or weymouthcenter.org. SYMPHONY. 4:45 p.m. Join Kirk Tours to see the Siberian State Symphony Orchestra. Cost: $130/person. Bus departs at 4:45 p.m. and the performance starts at 7:30 p.m. Cost includes premium seating, a three-course dinner and transportation. Info and registration: (910) 295-2257 or www. kirktours.com.

Book Event: The Treadstone Resurrection by Joshua Hood Resurrection,

Wednesday, February 19

SENIORS TRIP. 9 a.m. Seniors 55 and older can join Southern Pines Recreation and Parks to travel to Crabtree Mall for shopping and enjoy lunch on your own at one of

MEET THE ARTIST. 11:30 a.m. Join Ellen Burke for a meet the artist event for children ages 5 - 8. Cost is $45, including all materials. Serendipity Art Studios, 110 N. Poplar St., Aberdeen. Info: (603) 966-6567 or exploringartellen3@ gmail.com. ART CLASS. 1 - 4 p.m. Meredith Markfield will be teaching beginners acrylic pouring. The class runs through Feb. 4. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artisleague.org. GIFT BASKET BINGO. 6 - 9 p.m. Join in for gift basket bingo hosted by Alpha Delta Kappa’s local chapter Beta

COMMERCIAL

PINEHURST

Delight your Valentine with this amazing 3BR/2BA home located close to everything. Hardwoods and tile throughout. Beautiful brick fireplace. Upgraded Kitchen offering granite counters, soft close drawers, tile backsplash, cabinets & pantry with pull out shelves. Split bedroom plan hosting spacious rooms. Updated bathrooms and a Carolina room overlooking the fenced backyard. 3 car garage with 320 sq ft bonus room accessed through garage. Deck, Corner lot, circular driveway and more! $289,000

SOUTHERN PINES

Back row: Melinda Ringley, Lisa Whitescarver Front row: Donna Shannon, Lynnette Sena, Lucretia Pinnock, Jana Green, Sandy Hubbard

Enjoy this beautiful bungalow cottage with the love of your life! An open floorplan, super Southern Pines location, fabulous front porch and Weymouth Woods Nature Preserve just next door. This home has high end appliances, 9 foot ceilings, freshly painted, unfinished basement, fenced in yard, garden shed and is move in ready! $435,000

ABERDEEN

LOCATION!!! LOCATION!!! A sweatheart of a deal! Immediate income in this investment opportunity located in high traffic area. Two separate businesses occupy the building, a restaurant and a beauty salon. Buildings and all equipment included, businesses not being sold. Has had several improvements in last few years: additional bathrooms, security system, heating and air. $375,000

PINEHURST

Lovely brick Pinehurst home built by Hickman Builders. Spacious 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with split bedroom plan and a bonus room over the garage. New EZ Breeze windows on the screen porch overlooks a private fenced back yard. New flooring in all rooms. Carpeting is over hardwoods. New gas fireplace logs, new gas cooktop, new main floor HVAC 2019, new water heater 2019. $339,000

Serving our community for 25 years. Buying or Selling? Worried or Afraid? Call our caring and experienced professionals! We will guide you through the real estate maze. 98

PINNOCK REAL ESTATE & Relocation Services, Inc.

(910) 692-6767 | 115 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines, NC 28387

www.SearchMooreCountyHomes.com

CA L E N DA R Zeta. Proceeds go toward a scholarship for a high school senior. Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club, 1010 Midland Road, Southern Pines. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com. CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLE. 6:30 p.m. This is the annual members meeting where members will present topics relative to the Civil War or display an artifact from the period. Meeting starts at 7 p.m. Open to the public. Civic Club, corner of Pennsylvania and Ashe St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 246-0452 or mafarina@aol.com. THE ROOSTER’S WIFE. 6:46 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Barnes, Gordy and Walsh. Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.org. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Saturday, February 22

CRAFT DAY. Stop in the library anytime during the day for a self-led program — Love Your Petpalooza Craft Day. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. SINGER SONGWRITERS. 7 - 8:30 p.m. Enjoy original music from a variety of singer songwriters as they explain the inspiration behind their music. Momma Molasses hosts. Sunrise Theater, 244 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3611 or www.sunrisetheater.com.

Sunday, February 23

BOLSHOI BALLET. 1 p.m. Swan Lake. Tickets are $25. Sunrise Theater, 244 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3611 or www.sunrisetheater.com.

Conservative Republican  Career prosecutor with 23 years experience  Experience prosecuting serious criminal cases including capital murder, armed robbery, rape, and assault  Prosecuted hundreds of cases against predators who sexually assaulted women and children  Christian family man. Married to Victoria for 12 years. Father of Rhett.

YOUNG MUSICIANS FESTIVAL. 2 p.m. Enjoy the finalist concert at the Young Musicians Festival. Free and open to the public. Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 6926261 or www.weymouthcenter.org. PYXIE-MOSS HIKE. 3 p.m. Join us on a 1.5-mile hike on the Paint Hill tract to find the rare Sandhills pyxie-moss, a species only known to exist in a handful of counties in the Carolinas. Free and open to the public. Meet at the Stoneyfield Drive access. Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www.ncparks.gov. THE ROOSTER’S WIFE. 6:46 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Kamara Thomas. Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife. org. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

Monday, February 24

SANDHILLS NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY MEETING. 7 p.m. Speaker to be announced. Visitors welcome. Weymouth Woods Auditorium, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www.sandhillsnature.org.

Tuesday, February 25

ART CLASS. 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Betty DiBartelomeo will be teaching a portrait series. The class is also held on March 3. For intermediate to advanced artists. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 9443979 or www.artisleague.org. LIT WITS. 5:30 p.m. Join the library’s teen book club for 11- 15-year-olds. You can check out your copy of this month’s book, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, at the library from February 1 through Feb. 24. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. WINE DINNER. 6 p.m. Savor prepared foods paired with Sunrise Wines. There will be four wines and four courses. Limited seating. Elliott’s on Linden, 905 Linden Road, Suite A, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 215-0775 or www.elliottsonlinden.com.

Over 40 Local Artisans Clay, Metal, Wood, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry Pottery Classes Shop Local & Handmade Monday-Saturday 10 to 5 • 336-465-1776 260 W. Pennsylvania Ave • Southern Pines, NC

CA L E N DA R MUSICIANS JAM SESSION. 6 - 9 p.m. Bring your instrument and your love of music. The jam session and song circle meet monthly. Free and open to the public. Weymouth Center for Arts and Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261 or www.weymouthcenter.org. MARDI GRAS DINNER. 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Join us to celebrate Mardi Gras with an authentic menu and program. Tickets are $125 and proceeds benefit the Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives. Holly Inn, 155 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-6022. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com. NIGHT HIKE. 7 p.m. Come experience the dark side of Weymouth Woods on a night hike. Enjoy the trails by starlight and learn how nocturnal animals of all shapes and sizes navigate their world, and how human senses compare. Bring a flashlight and dress for the weather. Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www.ncparks.gov.

Catherine Billingsley and Carl Billingsley with metal sculptures and textiles. The exhibit will remain open through March 26. Hasting Gallery at Boyd Library, Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. AGED BEER TASTING. 7 p.m. We will be cracking open fantastic bottles of beer that have aged over the last three years. Beers will be paired with three bites. Cost is $25. The Sly Fox Pub, 795 S.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.theslyfoxpub.com.

Thursday, February 27

MEET THE ARTIST. 11:30 a.m. Join Ellen Burke for a meet the artist event for children ages 5 - 8. Cost is $45, including all materials. Serendipity Art Studios, 110 N. Poplar St., Aberdeen. Info: (603) 966-6567 or exploringartellen3@ gmail.com. BOOK EVENT. 5:30 p.m. The Treadstone Resurrection, by Joshua Hood. The Country Bookshop, 140 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: www.thecountrybookshop.biz.

Saturday, February 29

Wednesday, February 26

BABIES, SONGS AND READ ALONGS. 9:45 - 10:15 a.m. Join us for a new library program for ages 0 - 3. We will combine simple stories, music and movement to engage and entertain the little bookworms. Limited seating. First come, first served. Free and open to the public. Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.giventufts.org. ART CLASS. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Betty Hendrix will be teaching how to do a still life in colored pencil. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org. ART RECEPTION. 3 - 5 p.m. East Carolina retired faculty,

MET OPERA. 1 p.m. Agrippina. Tickets are $27. Sunrise Theater, 244 N.W. Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3611 or www.sunrisetheater.com. THE ROOSTER’S WIFE. 6:46 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. Seth Walker. Poplar Knight Spot, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.org. Tickets: www.ticketmesandhills.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS Monday, March 2

PERFORMANCE. 4:45 p.m. Join Kirk Tours to see The Color Purple. Cost: $130/person. Bus departs at 4:45 p.m.

Cranial Scarring Alopecia Areata Trichotillomania Menopausal Disorder Men’s Hair Loss CALL FOR FREE CONSULTATION!

and the performance starts at 7:30 p.m. Cost includes premium seating, a three-course dinner and transportation. Info and registration: (910) 295-2257 or www.kirktours.com.

WEEKLY EVENTS Mondays

COFFEE AND CONVERSATION. 9 - 10:30 a.m. Adults 55 and older can come out to watch their favorite morning shows or discuss different topics. Bring your own coffee or $1 to share ours. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. INDOOR WALKING. 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Improve balance, blood pressure and maintain healthy bones with one of the best methods of exercise. Classes are held at the same time Monday through Friday. Ages 55 and up. Cost for six months: $15/resident; $30/non-resident. Southern Pines Recreation Center, 210 Memorial Park Ct., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. BABY RHYMES: READ TO YOUR BUNNY. 10:30 a.m. This story time, reserved for ages birth to 24 months, will engage parents and children in early literacy brain-building practices. Dates this month are February 3, 10, 17 and 24. Programs are limited to 25 children and their accompanying adult per session. Parents or caregivers must check in with their valid Southern Pines Public Library full or limited access cards. Southern Pines Fire Station #2, intersection of Waynor Road and N.C. 22, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. CONTRACT BRIDGE. 1–4:30 p.m. A card game played by four people in two partnerships, in which “trump” is determined by bidding. Ages 55 and up. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

Visit

TESLA

HAIR REPLACEMENT CLINIC Anna Rodriguez

125 Fox Hollow Road, Suite 103 Pinehurst, NC 28374 910-684-8808 | 919-418-3078 | teslahrc@gmail.com Confidentiality is ensured.

Energy Efficient

Sales • Service • Repairs New Installations and Replacements

Oil • Natural Gas • LP Gas • Boiler Steam or Hot Water

Serving the plumbing, heating & air conditioning needs of the Sandhills since 1948! License # 670

Air Conditioning Units • Economic • Reliable • Powerful

online @ www.pinestrawmag.com

Homes, Churches, Businesses, Schools Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc

949-3232

Call us for all your commercial and residential HVAC and plumbing needs.

100

February 2020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PineStraw : The Art & Soul of the Sandhills

CA L E N DA R MASTER GARDENER TRAINING. 6 - 8 p.m. Receive a high level of training in all aspects of horticulture. Training fee is $85 for those accepted into the program. Moore County Agricultural Center, 707 Pinehurst Ave., Carthage. Info: (910) 947-3188. MASTER GARDENER HELP LINE. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. If you have a garden problem, a garden pest, a question, or if you want help deciding on plant choices, call the Moore County Agriculture Cooperative Extension Office. Knowledgeable Master Gardener Volunteers will research the answers for you. The helpline is available Monday through Friday and goes through October 31. Walk-in consultations are available during the same hours at the Agricultural Center, 707 Pinehurst Ave., Carthage. Info: (910) 947-3188. WORKOUTS. 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Adults 55 and older are invited to get their workout on. Cost for six months: $15/resident; $30/non-resident. The gym is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376.

Tuesdays

TRIVIA GAMES. 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Adults 55 and older can compete with friends in trivia games to see who knows the most about everything. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. BABY RHYMES: READ TO YOUR BUNNY. 10:30 and 11 a.m. (two sessions). This story time, reserved for ages birth to 24 months, will engage parents and children in early literacy brain-building practices. Dates this month are February 4, 11, 18 and 25. Programs are limited to 25 children and their accompanying adult per session. Parents or caregivers must check in to story time sessions at the circulation desk up to an hour before the start time of each session with their valid SPPL full or limited access cards. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235 or www.sppl.net. TAI CHI FOR HEALTH. 10–11:30 a.m. Practice this flowing Eastern exercise with instructor Rich Martin. Cost per class: $15/member; $17/non-member. Monthly rates available. No refunds or transfers. Cape Fear Botanical Garden, 536 N. Eastern Blvd., Fayetteville. Info and registration: (910) 486-0221. GAME DAY. 12 p.m. Enjoy Bid Whist and other cool games in the company of great friends. For adults 55 and older. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. TABLE TENNIS. 7 - 9 p.m. Enjoy playing this exciting game every Tuesday. Cost for six months is $15 for residents of Southern Pines and $30 for non-residents. For adults 55 and older. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

Wednesdays

SPPL full or limited access cards. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235. TAP CLASS. 11:30 a.m - 1 p.m. For adults 55 and older. All levels welcome. Cost per class: $15/resident; $30/non-resident. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376. YOGA IN THE GARDEN. 6–7 p.m. Improve flexibility, build strength, ease tension and relax through posture and breathing techniques for beginners and experts alike. Free for CFBG and YMCA members, $5/non-members. Cape Fear Botanical Garden, 536 N. Eastern Blvd., Fayetteville. Info and registration: (910) 486-0221, ext. 36 or www.capefearbg.org. (Must register one day prior). Email questions to mzimmerman@capefearbg.org. CONTRACT BRIDGE. 1–4:30 p.m. A card game played by four people in two partnerships, in which “trump” is determined by bidding. Ages 55 and up. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. FARM TO TABLE. Join Sandhills Farm to Table Co-op by ordering a subscription of local produce to support our local farmers. Info: (910) 722-1623 or www.sandhillsfarm2table.com.

Thursdays

GIVEN STORYTIME. 10:30–11:30 a.m. For ages 3 - 5. Wonderful volunteers read to children, and everyone makes a craft. Free and open to the public. Given Memorial Library, 150 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-6022. TODDLER TUNES. 10:30 a.m. Especially for children ages 18 - 36 months, this program will incorporate stories and songs along with dancing, playing and games to foster language and motor skill development. Dates this month are February 6, 13, 20 and 27. This event is limited to 25 children and their accompanying adult per session. Parents or caregivers must check in to story time sessions at the circulation desk up to an hour before the start time of each session with their valid SPPL full or limited access cards. Southern Pines Public Library, 170 W. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8235.

For the Designer Lovers

MAHJONG (Chinese version). 1–3 p.m. A game played by four people involving skill, strategy and calculation. Ages 55 and up. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. CHESS. 1–3 p.m. All levels of players welcome. You need a chess set to participate. Ages 55 and up. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. YOGA IN THE GARDEN. 6 - 7 p.m. Bring a yoga mat, water bottle and open mind to enjoy this all-level class to improve flexibility, build strength and relax. Cost per class: Free/member; $10/non-member per session or $30 for four classes. Cape Fear Botanical Garden, 536 N. Eastern Blvd., Fayetteville. Info and registration: (910) 486-0221.

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

HISTORY OF PINEHURST TOUR. 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. (1 hour and 15 minutes each). Also by request. Experience the Home of American Golf on a guided windshield tour with Kirk Tours and learn about Mr. Tufts and some of Pinehurst’s celebrity patrons. Cost: $20/person. Departs from Pinehurst Historic Theatre, 90 Cherokee Road. Info and registration: (910) 295-2257 or www.kirktours.com.

Fridays

COFFEE AND CONVERSATION. 9 - 10:30 a.m. Adults 55 and older can come out to watch their favorite morning shows or discuss different topics. Bring your own coffee or

high cotton CONSIGNMENT

910.483.4296

2800-4 Raeford Rd., Fayetteville, NC 28303 Follow us on

101

ining guiDe Dining gDuiDe

CA L E N DA R $1 to share ours. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376. TAP CLASS. 10 - 11:30 a.m. For adults 55 and older. All levels welcome. Cost per class: $15/resident; $30/non-resident. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info and registration: (910) 692-7376. CONTRACT BRIDGE. 1–4:30 p.m. A card game played by four people in two partnerships, in which “trump” is determined by bidding. Ages 55 and up. Douglass Community Center, 1185 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7376.

DugansPub Pub Dugans

JAZZY FRIDAYS. 6–10 p.m. Enjoy a bottle of wine and dancing with friends under the tent with live jazz music. Cost: $15/person. Must be 21 years of age or older. Reservations and pre-payment recommended for parties of eight or more. Soda, water and award-winning wines available for purchase. Food vendor on site. No outside beverages (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), coolers, picnic baskets or cooking devices permitted on premises. Birthday cakes, cheese trays and small items are acceptable. Anyone bringing in outside alcohol will be asked to leave with no refund. Cypress Bend Vineyards, 21904 Riverton Road, Wagram. Info: (910) 369-0411 or www.cypressbendvineyards.com. PS

Proud Sponsor Proud Sponsor of the of the

March Saturday,Saturday, March 14th • 1114th am • 11 am Village of Pinehurst 20th Annual 19th St. Patrick’ s Day Parade Village of Pinehurst 20th Annual 19th St. Patrick’ s Day Parade Music Tues-Sat All ABC•Permits • Full Menu Live MusicLive Tues-Sat • All ABC •Permits Full Menu

am • Square, 2 MarketPinehurst, Square, Pinehurst, NC • 910-295-3400 Open DailyOpen 11:30Daily am 11:30 • 2 Market NC • 910-295-3400 PineNeedler Answers from page �� 5 6 7 1 9 2 4 3 8 S L A W H A V O C

To a d v e rTo t i s ae d, vcearltl i s e , c a l l 9 1 0 - 6 9 29-1702-7619 2 - 7 2 7 1 102

S U E T

L O B E

U G L I

R O U G H U G E R E N I N A R H E Z E U R R N I O D G E O A D

I C I E S T

T H I S T L O E V A R R E Y N D S

4 9 1 8 5 3 2 6 7

3 8 2 4 6 7 1 5 9

6 5 4 7 8 1 3 9 2

9 1 3 6 2 4 7 8 5

D E A O O S O N S F R P A I A W E D R A F U T I S E N T T E C O R U A R S U N F E R N E A N E W

2 7 8 5 3 9 6 4 1 A S P E N T H E R M A L

8 2 6 3 7 5 9 1 4 M I L L E T

1 3 9 2 4 8 5 7 6

7 4 5 9 1 6 8 2 3

O R E O

L E A N

E D D Y

A I R D E I S P L S O W M A A M

M I A M I

P I T A S

E E R Y

A R K S

Arts & Culture

TEMPLE

THEATRE

120 Carthage Street

Sanford, NC 27330

February 6 - 23, 2020

FOR TICKETS TEMPLESHOWS.COM OR CALL 919.774.4155

Chocolate FESTIVAL

February

Saturday, February 8 • 9AM - 2PM

Pinehurst United Methodist Church • 4111 Airport Rd

New this year: Chocolate Chase Fun Run for Children 12 noon, Fabulous Silent Auction 9 -12, Cake Walk, Chocolate Themed Photo Booth Back again: Amazing Chocolate Treats, Gift Boutique, Cooking with Chocolate Demos, Donut and Hot Chocolate Bar Proceeds to Friend to Friend, Linden Lodge, Methodist Home for Children

Arts & Cu lt u r e

Call your advertising rep today to advertise.

Saturday, Feb. 1: The Kruger Brothers Sunday, Feb. 9: Hiroya Tsukamoto, Walter Parks Thursday, Feb. 13: Open Mic Friday, Feb. 14: Valentine’s Dance with the Shakedown Sunday, Feb. 16: Lisa Gessner and Paul Murphy Thursday, Feb. 20: Barnes, Gordy and Walsh Sunday, Feb. 23: Kamara Thomas Saturday, Feb. 29: Seth Walker

Poplar Knight Spot 114 Knight St., Aberdeen 910•944•7502 theroosterswife.org

103

910-944-3979

Arts & Culture

Gallery • Studios • Classes

What We’ve Learned

Artists League Student Art Show

FEB 7-27

An exhibition showcasing the Artists League Education Program Opening Reception Friday, February 7 4:00-6:00

“March Is For The Arts” MARCH 6-28

Opening Reception: Friday, March 6 4:00 - 6:00 pm Members only art exhibit

A Rodgers and Hammerstein Celebration™ THUR, MAR 5 | 8PM

LEE AUDITORIUM, SOUTHERN PINES Wesley Schulz, conductor Oscar Andy Hammerstein III, host Teri Hansen, vocals Nicholas Rodriguez, vocals

Featuring music from South Pacific, The Sound of Music, State Fair, The King and I, Oklahoma!, and Carousel, this concert will delight audiences of all ages!

CONCERT SPONSOR

Tickets start at just $18! ncsymphony.org | 877.627.6724 Tickets also available at:

Campbell House | 482 E. Connecticut Avenue

Tufts Archives | 150 Cherokee Road

Gallery Hours: Monday - Saturday 12-3pm WORKSHOPS:

BASICS OF IMPRESSIONISTIC PAINTING - CONNIE WINTERS - OIL March 18, 19, 20 BETWEEN REALISM AND ABSTRACTION Chris Groves - Oil or Acrylic April 28, 29, 30

CLASSES:

OILS AND ACRYLIC INTRODUCTION TO OILS FOR BEGINNERS Linda Bruening Monday & Tuesday, February 3 & 4, 12:30-3:30 $58/$65/$71 NEXT STEP-OIL FOR BEGINNERS Linda Bruening Tuesday, February 11, 9:30-3:30 $53/$60/$66 PAINTING SOUTHERN LANDSCAPES Harry Neely Tuesday & Wednesday, February 18 & 19, 10:00-3:00 $75/$85/$93 BEGINNER’S ACRYLIC POURING Meredith Markfield Thursday, February 20, 1:00-4:00 $36/$40/$44 INTERMEDIATE ACRYLICS Beth Ybarra Monday & Tuesday, March 23 & 24, 9:30-3:30 $101/$113/$125 PAINTING FROM PHOTOS - HARRY NEELY Wednesday & Thursday, March 25 & 26, 10:003:00 $76/$85/$93

WATERCOLOR CONTINUING WATERCOLOR - HONE YOUR SKILLS - WATER COLOR SERIES Jean Smyth Mondays, February 10, 17, 24, and March 2, 10:00-3:00 $106/$119/$132

128 W. Pennsylvania Ave. Belvedere Plaza Southern Pines, NC 28374 (910) 725-0465

COLORED PENCIL AND PASTEL STILL LIFE IN COLORED PENCIL Betty Hendrix Wednesday, February 26, 10:00-4:00 $49/$55/$60

www.oneofakindgalleryllc.com

TRY PORTRAITURE! Betty Hendrix Wednesday, March 11, 10:00-4:00 $49/$55/$60 DRAWING DRAWING ANIMALS Laureen Kirk Wednesday & Thursday, February 5 & 6 10:00-3:00 $75/$88/$93 SIMPLE PERSPECTIVE IN DRAWING Laureen Kirk Friday, March 27, 10:00-3:00 $50/$55/$60 OTHER MEDIUMS COLLAGING OUT OF THE BOX Sandy Stratil Wednesday & Thursday, February 12 & 13, 10:00-4:00 $93/$104/$115

For those who appreciate fine art

February Spotlight on NANETTE ZELLER, Textile Artist

INKTASTIC/INTERMEDIATE ALCOHOL INK Pam Griner Friday, February 14, 12:30-3:30 $35/$39/$42 $42 (paper included)

129 Exchange Street in Aberdeen, NC • www.artistleague.org • artistleague@windstream.net

104

SandhillSeen Junior Hunts of the Moore County Hounds Saturday, December 14, 2019 and Saturday, December 21, 2019 Photographs by Jeanne Paine

Members of the Moore County Hounds

Tayloe Moye

Jan Van Fossen, Elizabeth Rose, John Wagstaff

Lila Blackburn

Julian Alexander, River Hopton

Lincoln Sadler, Aubrey Myrick & Moore County Hounds

Isabella Tanner, Aubrey Myrick, Amara Baker, Gray & River Hopton, Gordon Talk

River Hopton

Ella Raynor, Danielle Veasey

Isabella Tanner & Junior Riders

Dick Verrilli, Laura Sloan

Gray Hopton, Lincoln Sadler

Dennis Paules, Miker Russell, Miker Rosser, Dr. Fred McCashin

Madison Elliott, Tayloe Moye, Cameron Sadler & Hunt Field

105

Scott Sheffield, Jenna Biter

SandhillSeen

Patty Thompson, Ginny Trigg, Mason MacDonald

PineStraw Contributorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Party Friday, January 10, 2020 Photographs by London Gessner

Beth MacDonald, Jim Moriarty, Patty Thompson

Claudia Watson, Ginny Trigg

Susan Campbell, Courtney Hickson

Andie Rose, Tom Allen

Darlene Stark, John Nagy

Jenna Biter, Courtney Hickson, Andie Rose, Lauren Coffey, Alyssa Rocherolle Alyssa Rocherolle, Mason & Beth MacDonald

David Woronoff, Jenna Biter Scout

Jenna Biter, Lauren Coffey

106

SandhillSeen

Woodlake Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christmas Dinner Dance Little River Resort Friday, December 13, 2019 Photographs by Al and Annette Daniels

Joyce & Joe Wirsing, Susan Belt Russ & Jennifer Heidel

Rhonda & Zanne Smith, Joyce Paterson, Brenda & Zannie Smith

Jon & Bonnie Laurich Beth Kiker, Judy Scruggs, Barbara Misiaszak

Ann Bauman, Jeanne Hunkele, Kathy Barringer, Judy Kerr

Bob Stauderman, Angie Forge, Brenda & Zannie Smith

Judy & Sid Scruggs

Troy & Heather Martens

Susanne & Uwe Wischeropp

Janice & David Dickerhoff

Lewis & Joy Nuzzie

Debbie Jansen, Carolyn Roberts, Joyce Wirsing

Walter Snyder, Phyllis Frederiksen, Judy Kerr

107

Pine ServiceS

ENJOY WINTER PEST FREE

Giving families

a brighter future with

compassionate home care.

910-944-0871

Fully licensed, bonded, and insured.

24 hour, 7 days a week availability

NC Licensed & Nationally Accredited Home Care Agency

110-B Applecross Road Pinehurst, NC 28374

CALL US AT 910-944-9412!

910-246-0586

910.944.2474

littlemissmowitallnc.com

A Tradition of Trust

Luke Pastre Construction

residential upgrades

pastreluke@yahoo.com

910.212.2722

over 30 years experience

SandhillS RenovationS llC Large & Small Jobs

Remodeling • Windows Door • Siding • Sunrooms Screen Porches • Decks Termite Damage Repair

Call for All Your Home Needs!

handyman services

910.639.5626 or 910.507.0059 Free Estimates & Fully Insured

JEWELSMITHE

It’s why I’m here.

Jeff Lomax Master Jeweler

Jewelry Design Repair • Digital Design • Hand Wrought

910.692.9543

Dereda Porter, Agent 355 Pinehurst Ave Southern Pines, NC 28387 Bus: 910-692-1722 dereda@dereda.com Mon-Fri 8:30am to 5:30pm Evenings & Weekends by Appointment

Your home and car are more than just things. They’re where you make your memories – and they deserve the right protection. I get it. It’s why I’m here. LET’S TALK TODAY.

950 Old US Hwy 1 South Southern Pines, North Carolina

www.jewelsmithe.com

Vintage Watches Wanted

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Fire and Casualty Company Bloomington, IL

1706811

local, veteran owned serving Moore County or

bef

ter

bef

ter

bef

ter

ROLEX & TUDOR Omega-Hamilton-Breitling Pilot-Diver-Chronographs Military Watches Buying one Watch or Collection

Ed Hicks Vintage Watch Collector 910.425.7000 or 910.977.5656

www.battlefieldmuseum.org • www.warpathmilitaria.com

108

SERVICES HOUSE WASHING WINDOW CLEANING GUTTER CLEANING CONTACT US!

ROOF CLEANING DRIVEWAY CLEANING DRYER VENT CLEANING 910-986-9013

www.gentlerenew.com

It's for the birds !

February PineNeedler By Mart Dickerson

It’s for the Birds

Across

1. Aspersion

5. "I had no ___!"

16 19

9. whack-___game ACROSS 55. Body ___ of water in (2 Central Asia words) (2 words) 21 20 1. Aspersion 59. Marriage 14. Apple's apple, e.g. 5. “I had no ___!” 22 23 24 60. Bird seed 9. Whack-___- ___ game (2 words) 15. Dove sounds 62. Rimmed 14. Apple’s apple, e.g. 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 16. Begot 63. Coastal raptor 15. Dove sounds 17. Ceremonial cleansings 34 35 36 33 64. Facebook co-founder Zuckerberg 16. Begot 19. Beg 65. Pond dwellers 17. Ceremonial cleansings 38 39 40 37 66. tending Again the scales 20. One 19. Beg 67. Klobuchar, Poehler and 42 43 44 41 20. One tending the scales 21. Serious crime Winehouse 21. Serious crime 22. ___ Master's Voice 47 48 45 46 22. ___ Master’s Voice DOWN Sense" author 23. "Common 23. “Common Sense” author 49 50 51 Thomas 1. ____ Cole ___, side dish Thomas ____ 2. large Brain area 25. Most 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 25. Most large 3. ___ fruit 28. Wonderment 28. Wonderment 60 61 59 4. Coarsen 29. Pack (down) 29. Pack (down) 5. Most frosted 33. “___we lucky!” 63 64 62 33. "___we lucky!" 6. It fits in a jamb 34. Beer choice 34. Beer 66 67 65 7. choice Long, long time 36. “Rocky ___” 8. Balaam’s mount 36. "Rocky ___" 37. French wine 9. Colorado 38. Unmannerly 50. Tears apart 27. Literary or artistic style 37. French wine resort 10. Bird seed 40. Cat’s prey 52. Bird seed block 30. Buenos ___ 38. Unmannerly 11. Sandwich cookie 64. Facebook 31. co-founder Sandwich cookie 53. Annul39. Egg producer 41. Propel, in a way Home of “The 11. Heat,” and 40. Cat's Zuckerberg 12. prey Prop up against the Dolphins 12. Prop up against 54. Baltic 44. 42. Happening capital Graduation certificate 41. Propel, in a way 13. Water swirl 32. Stuffed bread sandwiches 65. Pond dwellers 43. Medical swelling 55. “Green Gables” girlon", put in the 13. Water swirl 46. "____in 18. Bird seed 34. Because of (2 words) 42. Happening 45. French home 56. Did laps, say 66. Again crosshairs Bird seed 21. Feudal land holdings 35. Warm clothing18. description 47. Dined 57. Mysterious: Var.time to be home 43. Medical swelling 67. Klobucher, Poehler, and 48. Teen 21. Feudal land holdings 23. Spouse 39. Egg producer 48. Calamity 58. Noah’s craft, and others Winehouse 45. French home 50. Tears apart 24. Anticipate 44. Graduation certificate 23. Spouse 49. Overthrow in baseball, e.g. 60. Caribbean, e.g. 47. Dined Bird seed block 25. Wreak ____, devastate Down 46. “____in on,” put the crosshairs 51. Baseball ref 61. Ashes52. holder 24.inAnticipate 26. Dickens’s “___ Heep” 48. 48. Teen time to be home Calamity 53. Annul 52. “____with the fringe on top” 25. Wreak ____, devastate 1. Cole ___, side dish 49. Overthrow in baseball, ie 54. Baltic capital 26. Dickens's ___ Heep 2. Brain area 51. Baseball ref Puzzle answers on page 102 55. "Green Gables" girl 27. Literary or artistic style 3. ___ fruit Mart Dickerson lives in Southern Pines and welcomes suggestions 52. "____with the fringe on from 56. Did laps, say 30. Buenos ___ 4. Coarsen her fellow puzzle masters. She can be reached at gdickerson@nc.rr.com. top" 57. Mysterious: Var. 31. Home of "The Heat", and 55. Body of water in Central 5. Most frosted 58. Noah's craft, and others the Dolphins Asia (2 words) 6. It fits in a jamb 32. Stuffed bread 60. Caribbean, e.g. 59. Marriage 7. Long, long time sandwiches 61. Ashes holder 60. Bird seed 8. Balaam's mount 34. Because of , (2 words) 62. Rimmed 9. Colorado resort 35. Warm clothing 63. Coastal raptor Fire & Water 10. Bird seed description Cleanup & Restoration 24/7 Emergency Service Serving Moore & Montgomery Counties

3 6

9 8 4 3

9 1 1 2 8 5 9

Like it never happened.

(910)428-5280

250 McDougall Dr • West End, NC 27376 wlunney@servpro9950.com Independently Owned and Operated

Official Cleanup & Restoration Company of the PGA

Sudoku:

Fill in the grid so every row, every column and every 3x3 box contain the numbers 1-9.

6 4

7 2 8 3

4 3

109

2/1 The Kruger Brothers in Concert (12:46 & 6:46) The Rooster's Wife AIMS 2nd Annual Fundraiser Triangle Wine Company 2/2 In Search Of Mozart Cameo Art House Theatre Classical Music Sundays - Lyricosa Quartet Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities

2/16 Fake it till you Make It! Mamaste Fit Cape Fear - 500 Years of American History Part 2 of 3 with Kevin Duffus Weymouth Center for the Arts Gessner and Murphy The Rooster's Wife

2/6 The Johnny Folsom Four - Johnny Cash Tribute Cameo Art House Theatre

2/20 Gift Basket Bingo Mid Pines Inn & Golf Club Barnes, Gordy and Walsh The Rooster's Wife

2/8 Cider Speed Sampling James Creek Cider House

2/23 Kamara Thomas The Rooster's Wife

2/9 Hiroya Tsukamoto, Walter Parks The Rooster's Wife

2/25 Holly and Ivy Dinner ~ Celebrating Mardi Gras Holly Inn

2/12 Love Ya to the Core: A Cider, Cheese, and Chocolate Pairing James Creek Cider House 2/14 Valentine's Dance Party with the Shakedown The Rooster's Wife

2/29 Cat Video Fest 2020 Cameo Art House Theatre Seth Walker in Concert The Rooster's Wife

2/15 Heart n Soul of Jazz 2020 with Jazzmeia Horn Cardinal Ballroom at Pinehurst Resort

110

T H E A C C I D E N TA L A S T R O L O G E R

The New and the Proud Transformation is the name of the game

By Astrid Stellanova

The new year’s percolating, the stars are

circulating and a new you is brewing. . . Or an old you looking like it is walking back, doing the Benjamin Button reverse strut. Time to make self-renewal an inside job, Star Children. It is a brutally difficult process, true enough, but ignore at your own peril. Otherwise, we will be tsk-tsking all of 2020 about how nobody has ever done so little with so much.

Aquarius (January 20–February 18) In simple terms, karma is best put: “Ha, Ha, Ha!” Someone has made your life complicated, and it appears they have wedged themselves into your reality and have started occupying more than a little space in your head. Evict them. Honeybun, you don’t have to be a cactus expert to recognize a real prick. Pisces (February 19–March 20) Hush up, Puppy! You got what you want, and like the dog chasing the car, you gotta figure out what to do now that you’ve caught it. Aries (March 21–April 19) If it’s the thought that counts, Sugar, you could be sitting in jail. You’ve had to face off with a worthy adversary, so now find your inner peace before they shred that, too. Taurus (April 20–May 20) Good heart, bad mouth. That would just about fit on your tombstone. A kinder, gentler world may begin with small things, like you giving up cussin’ and swearin’. Gemini (May 21–June 20) Time to get your own health and life on track to avert scary stuff. The seesaw you’re on has you stewing in your own stress, and believing a balanced meal is a cookie in both hands. Cancer (June 21–July 22) This month offers chances to alter your life from status quo sis boom blah, to va-va-voom! The changes you crave are reachable; begin at the beginning. Choose differently. Leo (July 23–August 22) Yankee or Y’all? Pick a team. Influences have made you question your roots,

values, sense of self, even your identity. Honey, get grounded, meditate and re-evaluate. Virgo (August 23–September 22) Under threat, you tend to hide in your comfort zone, which is like a sleeping bag kind of comfort; but with no style. Even Norma Kamali couldn’t make over this schleppy look. Libra (September 23–October 22) Obsession looms large for you this month. A hobby overtakes you. Were you crazy even before the goat yoga? Check that tendency to overdo anything worth doing. Scorpio (October 23–November 21 Time to plunge both hands into the cookie jar. Get piggy with it. Allow yourself to get totally wrapped up in something. Immersion will finally cure an old itch for you. Sagittarius (November 22–December 21) Y’all ain’t right. But it has been so much fun playing, you might not want to stop. In the meantime, pay attention to numbers around you. Sugar, seven signifies something. Capricorn (December 22–January19) Attitude adjustment: Yeah? No. Say the word, often and firmly, to a very stubborn close one who thinks they will always, and should always, get their way. It stops now. PS For years, Astrid Stellanova owned and operated Curl Up and Dye Beauty Salon in the boondocks of North Carolina until arthritic fingers and her popular astrological readings provoked a new career path.

111

SOUTHWORDS

Party Animals The surprise of a lifetime

By Jim Moriarty

wedding anniversaries might as well be counted with Roman numerals like Super Bowls, there are a few curious rubberneckers who wonder exactly how the disgraceful business got going in the first place. In my case it’s simple: It began on her 21st birthday.

It should be noted that it was the ’70s, which excuses nothing but explains more than one would care to admit, and the occasion was a surprise party. Invitations to the gala were issued in the customary fashion of the day: “Hey, I hear Robin’s having a party Friday night.” Robin was the rarest of all birds, someone who had his own apartment. This meant that his forehead was stamped with the words Event Venue. She for whom the surprise gala was arranged was scheduled to arrive at, oh, let’s say 8 o’clock. The hour came and went with no sign of the featured dish. As the years have trickled past, I’ve come to realize that time is not a subject she deals with on an even playing field. But I digress. The issue at hand was the ’70s, and barely half an hour after the clock chimed 8, it rang out Bong:30. Those who know me well know that my own proclivities in recreational consumables are confined almost entirely to barley and hops. Yet here I was surrounded by people staring at a red lava lamp. I resorted to the only thing I felt truly comfortable doing. I began twanging my Ozark harp. Now, my teeth — then as now — are to modern orthodontics what a 1952 set of World Book encyclopedias is to the internet. The uppers are arranged in such a way that, while not totally random, bring to mind the punting formation of a peewee football team. Like Houdini being double jointed, however, it was precisely these irregularities that allowed me — someone with the musical ability of a sugar beet — to so bewitch the assembled partygoers with my virtuosic twanging they were as enthralled as if they were listening to Muddy Waters. At precisely this point, when I had the navel gazers eating out of the palm of my hand — musically speaking, of course — she for whom the surprise gala was arranged came through the front door. Two things happened. Well, one thing. The thing that didn’t happen was for anyone to summon the wherewithal to yell, as one does at a surprise party, “Surprise!” That nugget was apparently lost

112

in the fog of the ’70s. The thing that did happen was for the celebrant to lock her gaze firmly upon my own (I’d paused the musical interlude, though I was quite prepared to accompany any birthday serenading) and say, “What is he doing here?” Granted, it didn’t seem as though we’d gotten off on the surest footing but, since she for whom the surprise gala was arranged and I were the only two people at the party who actually seemed to remember it was her birthday, one thing led to another and I eventually suggested we go, pas de deux, for a cup of coffee at the local Dunkin’ Donuts. This she agreed to do even though I now know she detests coffee. Had I known that at the time I would have felt a bit spiffier than I actually did. It was a rainy, unseasonably chilly night, and we spent some time hobnobbing over warm liquids. Then, in an act of selfless generosity that would have made Mother Teresa blush like a schoolgirl, she suggested we take an extra large bag of doughnuts back to the party, stuffing it full of powdered, glazed and chocolate-covered with sprinkles as if she was packing the muzzle of a howitzer. When we parked at the curb outside Robin’s apartment, she for whom the surprise gala was arranged exited the car with the bag o’ doughnuts in hand. Unfortunately, she’d seized the bag at the bottom, not the top, and the doughnuts tumbled into the rainy gutter. I can say without fear of contradiction that not even Brooks Robinson at the height of his Gold Glove prowess could have barehanded the slow-rolling grounders with the speed and agility she displayed that night. Having crammed the slightly baptized doughnuts back into the bag from which they’d fallen, she for whom the surprise gala was arranged burst through the door, held the bag high over her head and yelled, “Doughnuts!” A three-legged antelope on the Serengeti Plain would have had a greater chance of survival than those doughnuts did that night. I said to myself, then and there, this is the lass for me. After all, in every gutter a few sprinkles must fall. PS

ILLUSTRATION BY MERIDITH MARTENS

When one grows so old that

Buyer, Purveyor & Appraiser of Fine and Estate Jewellery 229 NE Broad Street • Southern Pines, NC • (910) 692-0551 Mother and Daughter Leann and Whitney Parker Look Forward to Welcoming You to WhitLauter.

STEWART CONSTRUCTION

T H E DI F F E R E NC E I S I N T H E DE TA I L S

Quality is not Expensive, but it IS PRICELESS. Our standards mean more value for you.

Call us today to discover the difference.

Look for the “Mark” of a Great Builder 910-673-1929

mark@stewartcdc.com